A wild conspiracy theory concerning the mystery woman who acted strangely behind Donald Trump during the shooting has been condemned. Her unusually nonchalant reaction, including pulling out her phone without flinching as shots were fired at the Pennsylvania rally last week, raised suspicions. The footage of the incident has led to widespread speculation.
An absurd conspiracy theory has surfaced, which suggests that the woman who was seen behind Donald Trump during the shooting was FBI Assistant Director Janeen DiGuiseppi, and that she was directing the sniper who nearly killed Trump. The theory also alleged that this woman, supposedly DiGuiseppi, gave a signal before the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, began shooting.
Wild Theory But No Proof
However, both conservatives and liberals have since denounced the theory. "If you believe the assistant director of the FBI was sitting front row at a Trump rally to 'give instructions' to the shooter, you are an absolute moron. Like, next-level stupid," a Red State journalist known only as Bonchie wrote on X.
Footage of the unidentified woman — dressed in sunglasses, a white shirt, and a black hat — using her phone while gunshots were fired at the Pennsylvania rally on Saturday has gone viral.
This came while everyone else, including Trump, was ducking to the ground in fear for their safety.
Shayan Sardarizadeh, a misinformation expert from the BBC, also took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to debunk these claims.
"A new conspiracy theory, currently racking up millions of views, baselessly claims that a female supporter seen behind Trump when he got shot is assistant director of the FBI's insider threat office Janeen DiGuiseppi, who was helping the shooter,' he said. 'Those are two different women."
The FBI has dismissed the speculation, telling DailyMail.com, "The claims are false. The person in the footage is not her, and she did not attend the rally."
Others suggested that the woman's calm behavior might be attributed to the frequency of mass shootings in America.
Wild Conspiracy Theories Continue to Emerge
The attempted assassination of the former president has led to a multitude of claims—some outlandish—reflecting the unsettling uncertainties of the attack and the highly polarized political climate in the U.S.
According to PeakMetrics, a cyber firm that monitors online narratives, mentions of Trump on social media surged up to 17 times the average in the hours following the shooting.
Many of these mentions were expressions of sympathy for Trump or calls for unity, but others spread unfounded and fantastical claims.
Some of these dubious claims attempted to place blame on Trump or his Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden, for the attack.
On the left, some quickly labeled the shooting a 'false flag' orchestrated by Trump, while some of his supporters suggested that the Secret Service deliberately failed to protect him under orders from the White House.
On Sunday, the Secret Service refuted claims circulating on social media that Trump's campaign had requested increased security for the rally and was denied.
In the aftermath of the shooting, which resulted in the death of one spectator, investigators were searching for clues about what motivated Crooks, 20, to carry out the attack. The FBI is treating the incident as a potential act of domestic terrorism, but the lack of a clear ideological motive has fueled various conspiracy theories.
