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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

What We Know About Ryan Routh’s Political Affiliations

What We Know About Ryan Routh’s Political Affiliations

Rumors about Ryan Wesley Routh, who staked out Trump International Golf Club in Florida on Sept. 15, have been flying on social media. Some claim he “is a registered democrat.” Others claim he “is a Republican.” Routh was once registered as a Democrat, but said he voted for Donald Trump in 2016. He is not currently registered with any party.

Posts Misrepresent Police Reports Preceding Trump Rally in New York

Posts Misrepresent Police Reports Preceding Trump Rally in New York

Former President Donald Trump has been the target of two assassination attempts over the past three months. Viral posts are now spreading the false claim that police discovered explosives in a vehicle near a Trump campaign rally in New York on Sept. 18. Police said the claim is “unfounded.”

Posts Baselessly Suggest Others Were Involved in Trump’s Assassination Attempt

Posts Baselessly Suggest Others Were Involved in Trump’s Assassination Attempt

Viral online posts make the unfounded claim that a woman at former President Donald Trump’s July 13 rally acted “suspicious,” suggesting that she might have been involved in a plot to assassinate Trump, and that a QAnon-related character may have also been involved. The FBI has said that the “investigation to date indicates the shooter acted alone.”

Posts Make Unsupported Claims About Trump’s Wound and Secret Service Response

Posts Make Unsupported Claims About Trump’s Wound and Secret Service Response

Extensive media coverage of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally shows his injury and the immediate response of Secret Service agents. But social media posts make the unsupported claims that Trump wasn’t shot and the agents’ response indicates the incident was “staged.”

Misinformation Swirls About Trump Rally Shooter’s Identity

Misinformation Swirls About Trump Rally Shooter’s Identity

In the days following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, social media swirled with misinformation about the shooter. The 20-year-old gunman was a registered Republican and there is no evidence he had a criminal record, contrary to popular claims online.

False Claim About Fake Secret Service Agent Contributes to Rally Conspiracy Theories

False Claim About Fake Secret Service Agent Contributes to Rally Conspiracy Theories

Posts from the anonymous online forum 4Chan have been spreading the false claim that Secret Service officials prevented an agent named “Jonathan Willis” from shooting former President Donald Trump’s attempted assassin. The Secret Service has no employee by that name, and the claim is “categorically false,” the agency said.

Posts Use Altered Image of Secret Service Agents Following Trump Shooting

Posts Use Altered Image of Secret Service Agents Following Trump Shooting

The actions of the Secret Service at the Pennsylvania rally where former President Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt are under review. But social media posts show an altered photo to falsely claim agents were smiling while moving Trump to safety. The original Associated Press photo shows the agents weren’t smiling.