The Trump Shooting, Conspiracies, and Calls for War
Jul 17, 2024
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The podcast discusses the conspiracy theories after Trump's shooting, calls for violence and civil war, militias recruiting, tech influencers supporting J.D. Vance, and influencers profiting from the incident. Also, explores social media radicalization, patriotic atmosphere in Milwaukee, and a funny conspiracy theory about Nick Cage being a vampire.
Conspiracy theories spread rapidly post-Trump shooting, fueling calls for violence and civil war.
Militias seized on the assassination attempt to recruit members, exploiting the tragedy for radicalization purposes.
Deep dives
Conspiracies Surrounding the Attempted Assassination
Following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, a wave of conspiracies surfaced online. These theories included claims that the attack was orchestrated by President Biden, Democrats, the media, or women in the Secret Service. On the other side, some speculated that the incident was staged to boost Trump's image for the election. The prevalence of these theories was unprecedented and spanned various platforms.
Escalating Calls for Violence and Civil War
In parallel with the conspiracies, there were escalating calls for violence and even civil war following the assassination attempt. Messages advocating for armed retaliation circulated on private telegram channels for militia groups like the Proud Boys. Pro-Trump boards also saw a surge in calls for taking up arms. The intensity of these threats grew significantly, indicating a concerning trend.
Exploitation of the Incident for Political Gain and Recruitment
The aftermath of the shooting saw political blame games, with some Republicans accusing Democrats, particularly President Biden, of inciting the attempted assassination. Elected officials and public figures exploited the incident to push their agendas. Moreover, the event served as a recruitment tool for militias, openly using the shooting to radicalize members and attract new recruits. The tragedy was instrumentalized for political maneuvering and extremist group recruitment endeavors.
Right after former president Donald Trump was shot at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania, conspiracy theories exploded online. Today on WIRED Politics Lab, we discuss the subsequent calls for violence and civil war, and the way that militias are recruiting off of the incident. Plus, we report from the Republican National Convention on the reaction to Trump’s vice presidential nominee, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio.
Leah Feiger is @LeahFeiger. David Gilbert is @DaithaiGilbert. Makena Kelly is @kellymakena.Write to us at politicslab@WIRED.com. Be sure to subscribe to the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter here.