Society & Politics

Why are Republicans doctoring videos for - which ear was shot - left or right?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/doctored-rnc-video-fuels-falsehoods-203516484.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Doctored RNC video fuels falsehoods about Trump assassination attempt

Social media users are claiming Donald Trump wore a bandage on the wrong side of his head during the Republican National Convention (RNC), suggesting he faked the shooting that injured his right ear to gin up political support. But the video shared as evidence is flipped horizontally; live-streamed footage shows the former US president entered the event with his right ear bandaged from what the FBI has since confirmed was a bullet wound.

Similar posts ricocheted across Instagram, X and TikTok as Republicans convened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to nominate Trump for president, just days after he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt during a July 13 campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired eight bullets, grazing Trump in his right ear, killing one bystander and injuring two others before a Secret Service sniper team shot and killed him.

The episode spawned a rush of disinformation and conspiracy theories across platforms, including posts misidentifying the shooter and unsubstantiated claims that the attack was "staged" or an "inside job." Social media users have also shared a fake medical report and misrepresented photos to question Trump's injuries.

Why are Republicans doctoring videos for - which ear was shot - left or right?
Post Opinion