When Donald Trump was shot, the internet unleashed wild conspiracy theories

The 2024 Republican National Convention opens Monday with the unprecedented and grisly backdrop of its presumptive nominee having survived an assassination attempt. 

Former President Donald Trump arrived for the convention in Wisconsin Sunday, a day after a shooter fired a bullet that Trump said struck him in the upper ear just minutes into a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Authorities say the suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, shot and killed Corey Comperatore, a former volunteer fire chief, and critically injured two more attendees before the Secret Service returned fire and killed him.

Twenty-four hours later, Crooks’ motive remained unknown. Members of Congress joined prominent social media accounts in filling the void with evidence-free assertions about what inspired the suspect and his political beliefs.