FACT CHECK: Post Falsely Claims Trump Assassination Attempt Was Staged By The Campaign
A post shared on X claims that the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was staged by the campaign.
— Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) July 25, 2024
Verdict: False
There is no evidence for this claim.
Fact Check:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is assessing bullet fragments fired from an AR-15-style rifle that was used during the attempted assassination of Trump, according to The New York Times. The attempt left one rallygoer dead and two others injured, while Trump was wounded in the ear, the outlet reported.
Social media users are claiming that the Trump campaign staged the assassination attempt by hiring the shooter.
“The Real Story: Trump campaign hired the kid to fire into the crowd but avoid hitting Trump to stage a fake assassination attempt and then blame the Democrats, possibly to start a civil war…They knew the kid wouldn’t survive to tell the story,” reads the post.
There is no evidence for this claim. If the Trump campaign had staged the assassination attempt, media outlets would have covered it, yet none have. The FBI has stated that they believe the shooter, Thomas Crooks, acted alone, though they were still investigating it.
FBI director Christopher Wray has noted during his testimony that there is no evidence that Crooks had co-conspirators, according to CNN. Crooks also searched for information about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and he flew a drone before the attempted assassination, the outlet reported.
Furthermore, Trump was hit by a bullet, Check Your Fact previously found. The New York Times published an analysis that suggested a bullet did wound Trump.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Check Your Fact that this claim was “conspiracy bullshit.” (RELATED: Did A Fox News Chyron Say’ Kamala Could Be The Oldest Elected Female President?)
“Anyone who believes this conspiracy bullshit is either mentally deficient or willfully peddling falsehoods for political reasons. It is truly sad that some would peddle this lie when an innocent person lost their life and two others were critically wounded,” Cheung said.
Check Your Fact reached out to the FBI and the Secret Service for comment.
