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Immediately after the attack on White House Correspondents’ Dinner On Saturday night, influencers, pundits and random posters lit up social media platforms like X, Blueskyand Instagram with Conspiracy theories About the attack and the alleged shooter.
Left-wing and right-wing accounts claimed, without evidence, that the attack was planned.
President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and dozens of other administration officials and prominent journalists were attending dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., when a suspect later sneaked in. It has been identified According to media reports, Cole Thomas Allen of California allegedly ran past security toward the event. He was detained by law enforcement during the evacuation of the President and Vice President. police He said They believe Cole acted alone, but they do not elaborate on his intended target or what his motive was. “We believe the suspect was targeting administration officials,” Acting Prosecutor Todd Blanche said. He said nbc Learn about journalism On Sunday morning.
On Bluesky, which has a predominantly left-leaning user base, many people simply wrote “It was organized“Over and over again, repeating the answer Trump assassination attempt In Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024.
On X, many He claimed fire He was Organize As a way to boost support for Trump’s plan to build a new ballroom in the White House. The president spoke about the ballroom in a press conference after the incident and the social fact mail On Sunday morning. Several prominent Trump boosters online He echoed the need for dancehall, including on far-right podcasts Jack PosobiecLibs of TikTok content creator Chaya Rayshikand Tom FittonRight-wing activist who runs Judicial Watch.
Conspiracy theorists claimed their quick response was evidence of a coordinated campaign in the wake of the shooting. “Is this another event that was organized,” one X user asked in a shared post It has been viewed more than 5 million times.
Other social media users who claimed the incident was staged He pointed out To a clip from Fox News that showed the station’s White House correspondent, Aisha Hosni, speaking from the Hilton Hotel. Hosni told viewers that before the shooting, press secretary Carolyn Leavitt’s husband allegedly told her, “You have to be very safe,” before hanging up.
“Fox News interrupted one of its reporters because he seemed to suggest the shooting was a false flag that was pre-planned,” one X user books In a post that has been viewed more than 2 million times. Hosni later explained Share X She added that her cell service was cut off in a location known for poor service, and added: “He was telling me to be careful about my safety because the world is crazy. He was expressing his concern for my safety.”
“I don’t want to stir up conspiracies,” he wrote. Angelo Carosonepresident and CEO of Media Matters, told Bluesky about the Fox News interview. “But I mean…that was so weird. So weird.”
Levitt herself has also been the focus of conspiracy theories after saying, “Will be shot“In an interview before dinner, in reference to jokes Trump was scheduled to make. After the attack, X users claimed the comment was ‘strange“”they“, or”Strange choice of words“, while sharing memes that suggest the shooting was staged. At least one Main port He also appeared to amplify the conspiracy theory, calling Levitt’s comment “bizarre” and “bizarre.”