Conspiracy theories swirl following alleged assassination attempt on Donald Trump

Various conspiracy theories began to circulate within hours of an alleged assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Many different types of political groups have spread these theories. According to experts, these conspiracy theories can be broadly divided into two main categories: leftist theories and right-wing radical theories.

Left-wing theories suggest that the attempted shooting of Trump was staged. Proponents of these theories argue that forces close to Trump orchestrated the incident to present him as strong and powerful. On the other hand, right-wing populist circles are spreading the theory that the current president Joe Biden, who supposedly fears Trump winning the presidential election, is behind everything.

There is also the so-called ‘deep state’ theory, which posits that governmental forces view Trump as an adversary, and orchestrated the shooting to remove him from play.

However, it’s important to note that the majority of people do not believe in conspiracy theories, according to studies and opinion polls. Nonetheless, a significant portion of the population does believe in various types of conspiracies. Conspiracy theories are often believed by individuals who have a mindset of doubting everything that authorities and prevailing knowledge production institutions present.

Specifically, those people on both the left and right who have experiences of being marginalized or whose way of thinking does not resonate with mainstream media, are particularly drawn to conspiracy theories. However, researchers have observed that conspiracy thinking is now strongly associated with right-wing radical or populist forces.