According to the official version of events, Thomas Crooks acted alone when he climbed onto a roof and shot at Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, wounding the former president.
The problem is that Americans don’t believe the official story.
A poll by DailyMail.com/TIPP found that a large majority of voters believe Crooks, 20, was not alone in the attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, but was part of a larger conspiracy.
A whopping 67 percent of respondents said they believed the shooting was part of a plot, or that they did not know exactly what happened on July 13.
More than a quarter of respondents said a second shooter targeted Trump.
As many as 67 percent of respondents did not agree with the official version of events
A bloodied Donald Trump clenched his fist after being shot in the ear by a sniper eight minutes after taking the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
A nationwide survey of nearly 1,500 adults conducted earlier this month found that Americans are increasingly questioning the official narrative and embracing alternative versions of reality, which are spreading rapidly on social media.
Concerns about the shooting are undoubtedly heightened by the Secret Service’s failure to properly protect Trump, including no security on the roof near his lectern.
Crooks, a nursing home aide, attempted to kill the 78-year-old by firing a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle from a rooftop 450 feet (137 meters) from his podium.
Trump’s right ear was injured by the gunfire, and a 50-year-old man was killed. Two other spectators were seriously injured.
Crooks, a registered Republican, was shot dead on the spot by a Secret Service sniper.
He gave little information about his beliefs or what motivated him to open fire at the meeting.
Within minutes of the shooting, users on social media began wondering what had happened and coming up with their own theories.
Actress Amanda Seales was among those who suggested that Trump’s campaign team staged the attack so the candidate could appear triumphant and win more votes in the November election.
“That shit was more staged than a Tyler Perry production,” said Seales, the Insecure star.
The shooting sounds sounded more like “popcorn,” she added, and the blood streaming down Trump’s face was from “pellets” used by makeup artists in movies.
Meanwhile, on the political right, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones claimed the attack was an assassination attempt by the “deep state” and a “failed coup.”
That theory was amplified in Proud Boys channels and gained popularity in the weeks that followed.
Eli Crane, a Republican from Arizona, and other members of the Republican Party have suggested that the shooting was part of a coordinated campaign by Democrats or shadowy government actors to prevent Trump from retaking the White House.
Online theorists claim that Crooks was not the only shooter, but that there was a second shooter near the location of the meeting.
Some claimed that someone else was standing on top of a water tower.
Other theorists have focused on an unidentified woman in the crowd — wearing sunglasses, a white shirt and a black hat — who appeared calm and collected as shots were fired at the rally.
Actress Amanda Seales posted a video online claiming that the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, which left one man dead and others injured, was staged
Just under half of respondents say they are convinced that only one shooter aimed at Donald Trump at the rally
Secret Service agents rushed to the stage and pushed Trump to the ground after shots were fired
As everyone – including Trump – hunched over the ground in fear for their lives, the woman could be seen taking out her phone and beginning to film the event.
Many of the claims about the shooting first appeared on fringe social media platforms like 4chan and then spread to larger sites like X and TikTok, where they were seen by many more people.
Many of these rumors may contain exaggerations, missing context, or outright lies that evolve into conspiracy theories.
The misleading information is then amplified by online trolls, politicians, influencers and people trying to sell products related to the attempted assassination.
With few safeguards to stop bad information online, such claims can spread quickly, potentially impacting upcoming elections and even lasting for years.
Congressional leaders have created an independent task force to investigate the attack, and some top Republican lawmakers, including Speaker Mike Johnson, have urged their colleagues to “tone down the rhetoric.”
Johnson says he blames the shooting on incompetence and not a coordinated attempt to kill Trump.
Our research shows that most Americans doubt the official story.
Nearly half of respondents (45 percent) say Crooks did not work alone, but that others were involved in a conspiracy.
Only 33 percent said Crooks worked alone and 22 percent said they weren’t sure.
It is shocking that more than two-thirds of Americans do not accept law enforcement’s version of events.
Younger Americans and Republicans were more likely to suspect a conspiracy than others.
In a separate question, 27 percent of voters said they believe a second shooter was involved in the attack.
Another 46 percent said this was not the case and 27 percent said they were unsure.
The survey has a margin of error of +/-2.7 percent. It was conducted in early August by TIPP, which is known for the accuracy of its polls.