Debunked: Conspiracy theorists claim government behind Trump assassination attempt

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (13 July) has led to the emergence of several conspiracy theories.

Despite no evidence to suggest the government was involved in the incident at Butler, conspiracy theorists including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Alex Jones are blaming the government for what happened.

As part of the ‘Deep State’ conspiracy theory, online users falsely claimed that the police and Secret Service allowed the attempt to unfold.

This conspiracy theory, which gained mainstream attention during 2016 US election, claims there is a hidden, powerful network within the US government, including the Secret Service, that operates independently of elected officials.