How would an assassination attempt be ‘staged’? | CNN

The image was instantly iconic: Donald Trump, moments after an attempt on his life, is surrounded by Secret Service agents attempting to rush him to a car. Face bloodied, he takes a defiant turn toward his supporters and pumps a fist into the air. An American flag waves in the background. Was it too iconic? In the hours after a man tried to assassinate Trump at a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, baseless conspiracy theories about the shooting — and that photo in particular — flooded the internet. Some anti-Trumpers declared it too good to be true, arguing that the incident must have been “staged” to boost his campaign. More than a year into Trump’s second term, the claim has acquired new life, now among prominent people in the MAGAverse, disillusioned with the man they once supported. “Just admit you staged it in Butler,” comedian Tim Dillon, who helped drive support for Trump in 2024, said in an April 11 episode of his podcast. “It was the heat of the campaign. People do crazy things in campaigns.” As WIRED’s David Gilbert wrote last week, recent comments from Dillon, as well as right-wing personalities including Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor G