Some of these conspiracy theories centred on the alleged security failings, with social media users questioning how such a thing could happen.

Months ahead of the crucial presidential elections in the US, Donald Trump became the target of an apparent assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. This came days before the former president was scheduled to accept the Republican nomination for a third time.
While law enforcement officials are trying to determine the motive behind the 20-year-old opening fire from a nearby rooftop, the word ‘Staged’ became a trend on social media in the country within minutes of the attack.

This word has become synonymous with extreme conspiracy theories across social media platforms, being frequently used to question the veracity of an attack or shooting.

In the last 24 hours, it has overtaken other topics in popular internet discourse, as millions of views have been received by posts on X that are filled with unsupported rumours, hate speech, and abuse, BBC reported.

Questions raised
Some of these conspiracy theories centred on the alleged security failings, with social media users questioning how such a thing could happen.

“It looks very staged… Nobody in the crowd is running or panicking. Nobody in the crowd heard an actual gun. I don’t trust it. I don’t trust him,” read a post that received millions of views.

Committee changes
The convention will affirm Trump’s leadership over the party. During the four-day event, Trump will receive his party’s nomination for the presidency, with speakers taking the stage to support his candidacy.

But in the lead-up to the convention, experts have said there have been signals of how Trump’s dominance over the party might translate to the White House.

Trump has a history of appointing family members to high-profile roles, and that continued this year when Ronna McDaniel stepped down as the chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), the party’s governing body.

The leadership shake-up left vacancies, and Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump ultimately took a role as co-chair, with the ex-president’s endorsement.

Within days, she pledged to ensure “every penny” of the committee’s funds goes to “making sure Donald Trump will be the 47th president”.

Supporters gear up for Republican convention
Tens of thousands are getting ready for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the issue of security likely to dominate conversations.

“I feel pretty safe. I know security measures have been amped up quite a bit. I feel pretty confident, especially after yesterday’s night event that everybody will have their eyes wide open as far as security goes,” Milwaukee resident Corin Jones said. “I like to have confidence in us as a society that we won’t let things get out of control beyond what they already are,” he added.

I’m supposed to be dead,’ Trump tells New York Post
The former president has told the New York Post newspaper that his assassination attempt was a “very surreal experience”.

“I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told the Post in an interview while on board his plane en route to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention.

The 78-year-old praised Secret Service agents for killing the attacker, saying “they took him out with one shot right between the eyes”.

Democratic strategist apologises for saying Trump shooting possibly ‘staged’
Dmitri Mehlhorn, a Democratic strategist and a major donor to mostly Democratic candidates, has apologised for suggesting that Trump’s shooting had been staged.

“Last night, I sent an email I now regret. I drafted and sent it without consulting my team. I have apologized to them directly. I also want to apologize publicly, without reservation, for allowing my words to distract from last night’s central fact: political violence took yet another innocent American life,” said Mehlhorn, who is also an adviser to billionaire Reid Hoffman.

Who was Thomas Matthew Crooks?
The 20-year-old man suspected of shooting Trump was a dietary aide at a nursing facility. He grew up in Bethel Park, an affluent suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Local media said he graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022.
He went on to enrol at the Community College of Allegheny County and graduated with an associate degree in engineering science in 2024, a school official said.

According to The New York Times, he was registered as a Republican but made a donation to a progressive cause in 2021. His parents were registered as a Democrat and a Libertarian.
Crooks did not appear to have a public profile on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
US officials say he had no apparent history of mental health and had not been on federal law enforcement’s radar.
The FBI believes Crooks acted alone and the shooting is being investigated as a potential act of domestic terrorism.
They have not determined what motivated Crooks to try and kill Trump.