The attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13 is a truly devastating turn of events. Both in the immediate term — due to the tragic and needless death of confirmed deceased victim, Corey Comperatore — and perhaps in the long term, too, in ways that we aren’t even able to discern yet. Certainly, the actions of shooter Thomas Matthew Cooks will only intensify the polarized political landscape we live in even further.
In fact, we’re already seeing the evidence. Zealous Trump-supporting Republicans wasted no time in finding a way to personally blame President Joe Biden for the shooting, with Marjorie Taylor Greene and those of her factually challenged persuasion immediately peddling unfounded conspiracy theories on social media, claiming that Biden was ultimately responsible for Cooks’ crimes.
“Democrats wanted this to happen. They’ve wanted Trump gone for years and they’re prepared to do anything to make that happen,” the Georgian Congresswoman alleged on X.
Taylor Greene’s sister in spreading wild claims without evidence, Colorado’s Lauren Boebert, went even further during a televised interview with 9News, in which she voiced her belief that President Biden should be blamed for what happened. When asked to clarify by anchor Kyle Clark if she actually thought Biden was more responsible for the incident than Cooks, Boebert unequivocally stated: “Joe Biden is responsible for the shooting.”
In addition, Mike Collins — the GA-10 to MTG’s GA-14 — was widely blasted on X for making a markedly similar statement in the wake of the shooting. “Joe Biden sent the orders,” Collins shared, in a now-deleted tweet.
The crux of Trump loyalists’ argument, spurious as it is, relies on reports of a private call Biden made to donors last week. In the wake of his subpar performance at the first election debate, Biden is believed to have offered some strong words to convince investors he was still up to the task. “I have one job, and that’s to beat Donald Trump,” Biden said on the call. “I’m absolutely certain I’m the best person to be able to do that. So, we’re done talking about the debate. It’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.”
“I believe that much of the rhetoric of the left has escalated to this moment,” Boebert opined in her 9News interview. “Just last week, we saw Joe Biden try to excuse his poor performance at the debate and get that behind him and say ‘now we need to put Trump in a bullseye’… President Trump was literally put in a bullseye, after the sitting President of the United States called for him to be put in a bullseye.”
Obviously, in retrospect, Biden’s choice of words is unfortunate, but to Taylor Greene, Boebert, Collins, and others it is a tacit sign of his guilt. Those invested in this conspiracy theory appear to believe the rumors that the police and the Secret Service were expecting the assassination attempt to happen, which is how Cooks was able to get away with it in the first place.
Of course, Trump’s allies are not the only ones spreading dubious conspiracy theories online, with some of the former president’s critics under the impression that his ear injury was faked, or even that the whole thing was staged. Although his enemies are not acknowledging this, President Biden has called for “unity” in the face of the shooting, but sadly the proof is already indicating that this terrible and shocking turn of events will only lead to more of the opposite.
