Tattempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, who is running for re-election, is fueling a series of false claims and conspiracy theories as authorities seek information about the 20-year-old shooter’s background and motives, how he obtained the AR-style rifle that he shot Trump and the security at the location who were unable to stop the shooting.
Here’s a look at the facts.
The photo is said to show Trump’s ear undamaged on the Monday after the shooting. It’s from 2022
CLAIM: A photo taken on Monday shows former President Donald Trump with no damage to his right ear, contrary to reports that he was injured in an assassination attempt on Saturday.
THE FACTS: The photo was taken on September 17, 2022, at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, by then-US Senate candidate JD Vance. Trump appeared at the Republican National Convention on Monday night with a large white bandage over his right ear. Numerous photos show his bloody ear after a gunman opened fire at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, over the weekend.
Social media users are sharing the old photo as new, with some falsely presenting it as proof that Trump was not injured by the shooting.
“The top of his ear has grown back,” reads an X post from Monday night that had received approximately 40,000 likes and 13,200 shares as of Tuesday. “(Yes. This is from today)”
Another X post from Monday night states: “This image of Trump was taken today. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with her ear, and she didn’t suffer any damage, FROM A BULLET. Everything about Trump is a scam or a fraud.” It received approximately 26 thousand likes and 8,600 shares.
But the photo was taken almost two years ago.
It is from a September 17, 2022, rally in Youngstown, Ohio, for Vance during his Senate campaign. The image appeared in several articles published at that time. Trump chose Vance, now a U.S. senator, as his running mate on Monday.
See more information: Why Trump chose JD Vance
The version spreading online is cropped to show just Trump and enlarged on the former president’s ear. In the original, Vance can be seen speaking at a podium while Trump stands behind him.
Trump appeared at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday night with a large white bandage over his right ear. Numerous photos from the aftermath of the shooting show the same bloody ear.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old nursing home employee from suburban Pittsburgh, fired multiple shots at Trump with an AR rifle from a nearby rooftop at a rally for the Republican candidate on Saturday. He was killed by Secret Service officials, officials said.
The assassination attempt left Trump and two other men injured. Corey Compatore, a 50-year-old fire chief, was killed while protecting his family. The FBI said it was investigating the attack as a potential act of domestic terrorism but did not identify a clear ideological motive, The Associated Press reported.
Online Posts Falsely Claim Shooter Was Instructed Not to Shoot Trump Shooting Suspect
CLAIM: A police sniper assigned to Saturday’s Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, says the head of the Secret Service ordered him not to shoot the suspect accused of trying to assassinate Trump.
THE FACTS: No such order was made. Gunmen killed the suspected gunman moments after he opened fire on the former president, bleeding Trump’s ear, killing one rally attendee and wounding two. The Secret Service and Butler Police Department say they have no agents, officers or employees with the name of the person they claim is the shooter.
Following Saturday’s attempt on Trump’s life, a poster on the online message board 4chan wrote that they were a designated shooter for the rally and can be seen in a photo of two police officers on the roof of the rally.
“My name is Jonathan Willis,” the poster wrote. “I came here to inform the public that I had the killer in my sights for at least 3 minutes, but the head of the secret service refused to give the order to remove the criminal. 100% of the top brass stopped me from killing the assassin before he shot President Trump,” the post stated.
But there is no agent or officer named Jonathan Willis working for the Secret Service or Butler police, and no Internet record of such an officer could be located.
See more information: What to know about women in the Secret Service as critics blame ‘DEI’ for Trump shooting
A Secret Service spokesman said snipers are trained and instructed to act whenever they see a threat and do not wait for instructions before firing to neutralize a suspect. He said he could not discuss the details of the agency’s communication or the details of the ongoing investigation, but said the post was false.
Witnesses at the rally alerted authorities to the suspect, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, after seeing him perched atop a nearby roof. A local police officer went up to the roof and found Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer retreated and the gunman quickly fired at Trump, authorities said. That’s when US Secret Service gunmen shot him, authorities said.
Crooks, an employee at a suburban Pittsburgh nursing home, fired several shots at Trump with an AR-style rifle. One spectator died and two others were seriously injured.
Authorities said the shooting was an assassination attempt, but have not yet determined what motivated Crooks to try to kill Trump, the AP reported.
Posts distorted photo to claim that Trump was shot in the chest and saved by a bulletproof vest
CLAIM: A photo shows a bullet hole in Trump’s jacket, proving he was shot in the chest during the assassination attempt.
THE FACTS: The photo shows a crease in the jacket of a Secret Service agent protecting Trump. Another Associated Press image taken moments earlier clearly shows that there is no hole in Trump’s jacket. What appears to be a hole may shrink as the officer moves in video of the shooting’s aftermath.
Social media users are sharing the photo of the assassination attempt to claim that the former president was shot in the chest. Some posts suggest he survived because he wore a bulletproof vest.
In the image, what appears to be a small hole appears inches below Trump’s right armpit. Many posts use an enlarged version of the photo that has a circle around the supposed hole to emphasize hard-to-notice details.
“#Trump was also shot in the chest,” says one post X. “The bulletproof vest saved him #We support Trump.
Another post X says similarly: “It appears Trump was shot in the chest as the bullet appears to have pierced his suit; he was wearing a bulletproof vest.”
But the apparent hole is actually a crease in the Secret Service agent’s jacket sleeve, not the result of a bullet.
The photo taken by an AP photographer shows the agent hunched over as she protects Trump, her jacket appearing slightly darker than the former president’s. The fold can be seen following the edge of the agent’s jacket, from her neck to just below her left shoulder.
Additionally, another AP image taken moments before the one with the alleged hole clearly shows the right side of Trump’s jacket as he raises his fist. No holes can be seen in the jacket.
Trump wrote on his social media platform that he was “shot by a bullet that pierced the top of my right ear.” Photos and videos from the rally show blood on his right ear and the right side of his face.
The Secret Service declined to comment on details of the shooting, including where the bullets struck, and did not respond to a subsequent inquiry into whether Trump was wearing a bulletproof vest. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Photo edited to make it look like Secret Service agents were smiling after the attempt on Trump’s life
CLAIM: A photo of Trump’s assassination attempt shows Secret Service agents smiling as they surround him after the shooting.
THE FACTS: The photo was edited to give the impression that the agents were smiling. In the original, taken by an Associated Press photographer, the same agents can be seen with neutral expressions.
Following the shooting, social media users shared the altered image, with some suggesting it was proof that the assassination attempt had been staged.
The photo shows Trump with blood on his face and ears, raising his fist in front of an American flag as Secret Service agents surround him. Three agents whose faces are visible appear to smile as they protect the former president.
See more information: Behind the cover: interview with the photographer of the Trump image
“Why are all three Secret Service agents smiling, at least that’s how it seems to me,” reads one post on X. “Given the gravity of the situation, I would think their expressions would be grim and determined. Now, if it were a staged event, these expressions would make more sense.”
But the agents weren’t smiling at that moment. The photo has been edited to look different.
The original image shows the same three agents with neutral expressions. One man is positioned behind Trump, a second man is at his left shoulder and a woman is hunched over his right side, beneath his raised arm.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
