President Donald Trump's voters stunned a political analyst on Monday after they accused the president of staging another "false flag" attack.
Nine voters who voted for Trump at least twice told The Bulwark that they believe Trump may have staged the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Some noted that the circumstances of the shooting seem implausible, given the level of security that follows the president.
Will Sommer, a writer for The Bulwark, was stunned by what some of the voters told the outlet. He argued in a new article that their responses illustrate the political moment that Trump has helped create.
"Trump has been politically victimized before by conspiracy theories (including those of his own making), most notably for refusing to release the Jeffrey Epstein files," Sommer wrote. "But the idea that even people who voted for him think he staged the most recent attempt on his life underscores what a profound trust deficit he currently is facing among voters."
"It also underscores the degree to which our nation’s political discourse is now being shaped and directed by the conspiratorial mindset," he added. "We are at the point where the president’s own voters are doing QAnon-style symbol analysis of his White House. That’s a bad sign!"
Reports indicate the alleged shooter, Cole Allen, rushed through security before firing off at least one round inside the Washington Hilton, where the event was being held. The president, his staff, and his cabinet were not on the same floor of the shooting. No one was killed, and Allen was apprehended alive by authorities.
