"She Loves Trump, I Can't Stand Him – But We Both Think He Staged His Own Assassination Attempts"
Desirée, known online as “Wild Mother,” lives in the serene mountains of Colorado, where she shares wellness tips with 80,000 followers, focusing on natural remedies and motherhood. She’s an enthusiastic supporter of Donald Trump’s bid for the White House.
Just 70 miles away in the Denver suburbs, Camille is a committed advocate for racial and gender equality. A longtime Democrat voter, she shares her home with several rescue dogs. Politically, the two women couldn’t be more different, but they share an unexpected belief: both think Trump staged recent assassination attempts against himself.
Their views on these incidents, including a shooting in July and another alleged plot shortly after, have been influenced by a flood of conspiracy-laden content that appeared in their social media feeds.
I traveled to Colorado to uncover the roots of these beliefs for a BBC Radio 4 podcast Why Do You Hate Me? USA. Colorado has emerged as a hotbed of conspiracy theories, particularly those regarding the 2020 election. I wanted to understand how staged assassination theories managed to cross political boundaries and how they’ve shaped the lives of individuals like Camille and Wild Mother.
Across social media, I found dozens of baseless claims about the assassination attempts. Together, they’ve garnered over 30 million views on X (formerly Twitter). While some posts came from Trump supporters, others originated from anti-Trump accounts that hadn’t previously shared conspiracy theories.
For Camille, the belief is simple: Trump’s team staged the incidents to drum up sympathy and boost his reelection chances. Wild Mother, who follows the QAnon movement, is convinced the events were orchestrated to frame Trump’s enemies in the so-called “Deep State”—an alleged coalition of intelligence agencies working against Trump.
Wild Mother’s Journey Into Conspiracy Thinking
Wild Mother, a young woman with long brown hair and a love for the outdoors, has always leaned toward unconventional beliefs. As she stands near a waterfall in her mountain town, she explains how she started sharing thoughts on natural medicine in 2021. Over time, her content veered into speculation about major events, from the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy to 9/11 and Covid-19.
Her political journey took a sharp turn during the pandemic, when she began following QAnon. Its claims of a hidden war between Trump and a global cabal deeply resonated with her, particularly when it touched on issues like child trafficking, which she sees as one of today’s gravest concerns.
Though she can’t confirm whether Trump’s team staged the attack in July, she knows what she wants to believe. “We’ve been lied to for too long,” she says, “and our country needs saving from those in power.”
Camille’s Surprising Shift
Camille, on the other hand, was a firm believer in mainstream narratives—until the day she watched Trump narrowly escape an assassination attempt on live television in July. “It just didn’t add up,” she recalls. As Trump stood defiant, fist raised with blood streaking his face, she couldn’t shake the feeling it was all a show.
Already a regular user of social media, Camille took to X for answers. There, she found a wave of conspiracy-laden posts, many from accounts she already trusted. With the platform’s recent algorithm changes, which now boost posts from blue-check users, these theories seemed even more legitimate. Soon, Camille found herself sucked into an echo chamber where it seemed plausible that Trump’s team had engineered the assassination to manipulate public sentiment.
What was most shocking to her was how her beliefs changed so quickly. “I used to laugh at conspiracy theories,” she admits. “But now, I’m questioning everything.”
The Real-World Consequences
For both women, these beliefs have had personal costs. Camille has become increasingly isolated, finding it difficult to talk to family members who still support Trump. Meanwhile, Wild Mother’s immersion in conspiracy theories contributed to the breakdown of her marriage. “It created distance between us,” she reflects.
Their reliance on social media has also bred distrust toward institutions, leading to growing tensions in their day-to-day lives. Camille describes feeling on edge when she leaves her house, worried about potential confrontations.
While neither woman claims to have threatened anyone, their beliefs are part of a larger trend contributing to a toxic environment across the U.S. Government officials and election workers have faced harassment and threats from individuals who buy into these baseless conspiracies.
The ripple effects of these beliefs are clear. Camille, once firmly grounded in reality, now speaks in the language of conspiracy theories. Wild Mother, already deep in the world of alternative thinking, continues to navigate a reality where anything could be staged.
Both women reflect a troubling truth: in the age of social media, it’s easier than ever to fall into a rabbit hole where facts are blurred, and the line between truth and fiction fades away.
