Several conspiracy theories are doing the rounds after an assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump on July 13. Shortly after news of the assassination bid on Donald Trump broke, the word “staged” began trending on social media in the US.The word has flooded into mainstream online conversation and posts filled with evidence-free speculation. It took just minutes for anti-Trump conspiracy theorists to claim the shooting was “staged” to boost his electoral prospects.In the hours after the shooting in Pennsylvania, “staged” was the fourth ranked search term on Google, followed by Trump, Secret Service, and Antifa. Some users even questioned the defiant images of Trump after the shooting saying ‘this is such a perfect photo it’s hard to believe it is not staged.”The conspiracy theorists referred to a photograph that shows Trump, fist raised, blood on his face and ear, with the US flag in the background.
