Online Trends Claim Trump's Assassination Attempt Was 'Staged'

The first posts emerged on X as agents escorted Trump from his Pennsylvania rally, blood visible on the right side of his face.

In the hours following the Saturday night shooting, 'staged' became the fourth-ranked search term on Google, trailing Trump, Secret Service, and Antifa, even before law enforcement confirmed the gunman's identity.

Some X users pointed to the defiant images of Trump post-shooting as evidence.

"This is such a perfect photo it's hard to believe it is not staged. Photo of the decade. Absolutely incredible," commented one user.

"Do you think the Trump shooting was staged?" asked another X user shortly after the incident.

Another user expressed skepticism about Trump's response to the attack, writing, "Trump getting shot was completely staged. He wouldn't stop looking in that direction. Obviously, someone who could make that shot wouldn't miss if they were intending to kill him. Then he got up and raised his hand. He would have s... his pants if this was real. Staged."

"Repost if you think this was staged," wrote another user with the handle Brittney.

The identities of the accounts trolling Trump could not be immediately verified.

Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI Pittsburgh field office, described the shooting as an 'assassination attempt' on Saturday night.

"This evening, we had what we are calling an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. It's still an active crime scene," he informed reporters.

Trump defiantly clenched his fist moments after being shot, while Secret Service agents surrounded him to shield him from other potential threats. He yelled "fight, fight, fight" to his supporters.

Some Trump allies quickly suggested that surviving what the FBI termed an assassination attempt would aid his campaign.

"President Trump survives this attack — he just won the election," Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) told Politico.