Gala shooting in the USA

The conspiracy theory about the attack: Staged by the White House

Despite the fact that the shooting during the Correspondents' Gala was witnessed by hundreds of journalists and politicians, conspiracy theories and disinformation quickly began to circulate on social media. Thousands of posts were about Donald Trump himself having directed the shooting, reports the Washington Post.

A recurring theory is that the president would have arranged the attack to increase his support among voters after weaker opinion figures. There has also been speculation that the shooting could improve his chances of getting through plans for a ballroom at the White House.

The White House has dismissed the allegations and there is no indication that the Trump administration was involved.

– Anyone who believes that President Trump staged his own assassination attempt is a complete idiot, says White House spokesman Davis Ingle.

Top Democrat rages against Leavitt: "Ice-cold liar"

Democrat and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calls White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt an "ice-cold liar", reports The Hill. The anger comes after Leavitt accused Democrats during a press briefing of encouraging the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. She accused Trump's political opponents of using "hateful and violent" rhetoric, among other things.

- Stop it! Clean your own house before you comment on the language we use, Jeffries says during a press conference.