FACT FOCUS: A look at false claims around the assassination attempt on former President Trump
The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trumpwho is running for re-election, is fueling a series of false claims and conspiracy theories as authorities try to piece together information about the background and motive of the 20-year-old gunman, how he obtained the AR-style rifle he used to shoot Trump and the security at the scene that failed to stop the shooting.
Below are the facts in a row.
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Online reports falsely claim sniper was told not to shoot Trump shooting suspect
CLAIM: A sniper who went to Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday says the head of the Secret Service ordered him not to shoot the suspect accused of trying to kill Trump.
THE FACTS: No such order was issued. Snipers killed the suspected shooter moments after he opened fire on the former president, causing Trump’s ear to bleed, killing a rally visitor and two wounded. The Secret Service and the Butler Police Department say they have no agents, officers or employees with the name of the person claiming to be the sniper.
After the attempt on Trump’s life on Saturday, a poster on the online forum 4chan wrote that a sniper was assigned to the rally, and that they were also seen in a photo of two police officers on the roof of the rally.
“My name is Jonathan Willis,” the poster read. “I came here to inform the public that I had the assassin in my sights for at least 3 minutes but the head of the Secret Service refused to give the order to take the assailant out. 100% the top brass stopped me from killing the assassin before he shot President Trump,” the post claimed.
However, there is no agent or officer named Jonathan Willis working for the Secret Service or the Butler Police Department, nor could any information be found on the Internet about such an officer.
A Secret Service spokesman said snipers are trained and instructed to act when they see a threat, and do not wait for instructions before firing a shot to eliminate a suspect. He said he could not comment on the details of the agency’s communication or the specifics of the ongoing investigation, but said the post was inaccurate.
Witnesses at the rally alerted police to the suspect, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, after seeing him on a nearby roof. A local police officer climbed onto the roof and found Crooks, who pointed the gun at the officer. The officer walked down the ladder and the gunman quickly fired at Trump, officials said. That’s when U.S. Secret Service gunmen shot him, officials said.
Crooks, a nursing home worker in the Pittsburgh suburbs, multiple shots fired on Trump with an AR-style rifle. One spectator was killed and two others were seriously injured.
Authorities said the shooting was attempted murder, but have not yet determined what motivated Crooks to try to kill Trump. the AP has reported.
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Reports distort photo to claim Trump was shot in the chest and saved by bulletproof vest
CLAIM: A photo shows a bullet hole in Trump’s jacket, proving he was shot in the chest during the attack. attempted homicide.
THE FACTS: The photo actually shows a crease in the jacket of a Secret Service agent protecting Trump. Another image from Associated Press moments before it is clearly visible that there is no hole in Trump’s jacket. What appears to be a hole can be seen shrinking as the officer moves on video about the aftermath of the shooting.
Social media users share the photo of the attempted murder claim the former president was shot in the chest. Some reports suggest he survived because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
The image shows a small hole inches below Trump’s right forearm. Many posts use a zoomed-in version of the photo with a circle around the supposed hole to emphasize the hard-to-spot detail.
“#Trump was also shot in the chest,” reads an X post. “The bulletproof vest saved him #We support Trump.
Another X-post reads along similar lines: “It appears Trump was shot in the chest as the bullet appears to have penetrated his suit; he was wearing a bulletproof vest.”
But the visible hole is actually a crease in the sleeve of the Secret Service agent’s jacket, and not the result of a bullet.
The photo taken by a AP photographer shows the officer bending over as she protects Trump, her jacket appearing slightly darker than the former president’s. The crease can be seen by following the edge of the officer’s jacket from her neck to just below her left shoulder.
Moreover, another AP image taken moments before the one with the supposed hole clearly shows the right side of Trump’s jacket as he raises his fist. There is no hole visible in the jacket.
Trump wrote on his social media platform that he “was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.” Photos and videos from the meeting 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 follow-up question about whether Trump was wearing a bulletproof vest. Trump’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
___ Photo edited to make it look like Secret Service agents were laughing after attempt on Trump’s life
CLAIM: A photo of the attempted homicide Trump’s photo shows Secret Service agents standing around him laughing after the shooting.
THE FACTS: The photo has been edited to make it appear as if the officers are laughing. In the originaltaken by a Associated Press photographerthe same officers can be seen with neutral facial expressions.
After the shooting, Social media users shared the doctored image, with some claiming it was evidence the assassination attempt was staged.
The photo shows Trump, blood on his face and ear, holding his fist in the air in front of an American flag as Secret Service agents surround him. Three agents, their faces visible, appear to grin as they protect the former president.
“Why are all 3 Secret Service agents laughing, or so it appears to me,” reads a post on X. “Given the seriousness of the situation, I would think their facial expressions would be grim and determined. If this was a staged event, these facial expressions would make more sense.”
But the officers weren’t laughing at the time. The photo had been edited to make it look different.
The original image shows the same three officers with neutral facial expressions. One man stands behind Trump, a second man stands at his left shoulder, and a woman stands leaning over his right side, under his raised arm.
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Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.