Election Disinformation Will Lead to Chaos
A shoe is left on the stage during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. Photo by Jabin Botsford—The Washington Post / Getty Images
TIME
The assassination attempt that narrowly missed Donald Trump at a campaign rally on July 13 has prompted a deluge of misinformation and disinformation online.
Depending on your perspective, the attack was either a failed plot by the “deep state” to remove President Joe Biden’s rival from the 2024 presidential race or a “false flag” operation designed to generate support for Trump. In fact, the FBI issued an official statement that a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man likely acted alone when he used an assault rifle to shoot the 45th president.
But facts are rarely enough to stop the onslaught of disinformation, the deliberate use of lies and misleading claims, and misinformation, its unwitting cousin.
Predictably, the unique circumstances of the shooting that left one dead and others injured has led to wild conjecture. Failing to secure a rooftop about 150 yards from the stage will no doubt cause hard questions for the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners in Butler, Pa., but it also opens the event to false narratives designed to advance the agendas of their authors. For Trump supporters, the shooting provides an opportunity to cast aspersions on the Biden Administration. Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) posted on X, “Joe Biden sent the orders.” Rep. John James (R-MI) posted on the same platform, “They tried to silence him. They tried to jail him. Now they’ve tried to kill him.” Elon Musk, who owns the tech company, posted that the conduct of the Secret Service was either “Extreme incompetence or it was deliberate.”
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