The assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, PA, led to a surge in antisemitic conspiracy theories and calls for violent retaliation, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
On July 13, 2024, former President Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, PA. The attack, which resulted in one death and three injuries, including Trump himself, ignited a flurry of antisemitic conspiracy theories and calls for violent retaliation online, according to the ADL blog.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, PA, was identified as the shooter. Federal law enforcement treated the incident as an assassination attempt, though Crooks' motives remained unclear, the ADL reported.
In the wake of the shooting, antisemitic conspiracy theories quickly surfaced. According to the ADL, Jon Minadeo, founder of the Goyim Defense League, hosted a session on X, formerly Twitter, titled “Jews try to assassinate Trump!” Similarly, conspiracy theorist Stew Peters baselessly suggested that Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, was involved in the attack.
Prominent figures in white supremacist circles also propagated these theories. Nick Fuentes, a well-known white supremacist, claimed that Israeli intelligence attacked to replace Trump with a candidate more favorable to Israeli interests, the ADL noted.
Social media users claim attack was fake
Theories also blamed "the left" and the so-called "Deep State" for the assassination attempt. Conspiracy theorists like Rick Wiles and Jack Posobiec suggested that President Biden and the Democrats orchestrated the attack.
Alex Jones, a far-right talk show host warned of further attempts by the Deep State to kill Trump, claiming the country was in the midst of a "Deep State hot coup," according to the ADL.
Additionally, some social media users alleged that the shooting was a false flag operation or staged event, intended to boost Trump’s presidential campaign. These claims fueled further calls for violence and civil war, with users on platforms like X and Telegram advocating for retaliatory actions against perceived political enemies, as reported by the ADL.
ADL’s Center on Extremism found that Crooks made a donation to a Democratic PAC in 2021 but registered as a Republican later that year. Authorities also discovered explosive devices in Crooks' car and home, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing investigation, the ADL reported.