Here’s a twist in the political drama surrounding former President Donald Trump: a new survey reveals that one-third of Democrats believe the attempted assassination at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was staged. Yep, you heard that right!
According to the Morning Consult survey, 34% of Democratic voters think it’s at least somewhat credible that Trump staged the shooting. On the flip side, only 45% of them dismissed the idea as implausible. This has stirred quite the pot, with some prominent leftists even entertaining the theory.
Take Dmitri Mehlhorn, for instance. He’s an advisor to Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, who has donated millions to both Biden-aligned and anti-Trump PACs. In an email reported by Semafor, Mehlhorn suggested the possibility that the shooting was staged for Trump to gain sympathy and political advantage. He drew comparisons to tactics used by Putin and even Hamas, highlighting how such events can be manipulated for political gain.
how often have AR-15 bullets "pierced" part of someone's body, "ripping through the skin," while leaving the body part intact and without serious injury?
on the other hand it's easy to imagine a shard of shattered glass causing the bleeding Trump suffered
no briefing is odd https://t.co/lchLQno9Mn
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) July 18, 2024
Mehlhorn’s email, reportedly sent to sympathetic journalists and also obtained by Semafor, speculated that the shooting could have been orchestrated to create a backlash beneficial to Trump.
He pointed out how ready Trump seemed to rally despite his injury, contrasting this with past incidents where Trump appeared more flustered.
MSNBC host Joy Reid also chimed in with her suspicions, asking a slew of questions about the incident. She wondered about the nature of Trump’s injury, the positions of the other injured attendees, and why Trump was allowed to stand and pose for photos right after the incident. Her queries aimed to shed light on the inconsistencies she perceived in the official account.
Former CNN reporter John Harwood added his doubts too. He questioned the plausibility of an AR-15 bullet causing a non-serious injury as described, suggesting that a shard of glass might be a more believable cause of Trump’s bleeding.
This swirl of skepticism among prominent figures and Democratic voters points to a deeper distrust and division within the political landscape. The survey results and subsequent speculations reflect how polarizing Trump remains, and how every event involving him is scrutinized from multiple angles.