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The former president used his to share occasional updates. Users hail him as a hero and post unfounded rumors.
By David Yaffe-Bellany
Shortly after former President Donald J. Trump was shot and killed on Saturday, unsubstantiated rumors began circulating on his social media site, Truth Social.
Truth Social users posted memes suggesting that President Biden or Hillary Clinton were the attackers at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and argued that there may have been several gunmen. They hailed Trump as a heroic figure and circulated the now-ubiquitous images of his bloodied face and ears.
Right-wing conspiracy theories are par for the course on Truth Social, a social media platform specializing in conservative political discourse. Over the years, Trump has used the site to repeat his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and to criticize judges and prosecutors involved in criminal cases who oppose him.
Since the shooting, Trump has posted occasional updates, reporting that a bullet had pierced his right ear. On Sunday he said, “Only God is the one who prevented the unthinkable from happening. “
Since the attack, Truth Social has acted with some degree of anger. “Tell us if you’d like a hundred MILLION RED-BLOODED AMERICAN PATRIOTS to do something for our country,” one user wrote in a message to Mr. Trump. “Say the word Lord, say the word. “
Kash Patel, a Trump insider who has in the past threatened to sue reporters if the former president takes back the White House, took a more measured stance in an article published Saturday night. “Now is the time to attack the media,” he said. “Let’s let law enforcement and the Secret Service do their job. “
“Anyone spreading false hypotheses and data deserves our attention and has shown them what their priorities are,” he added.
But soon, the user responded to his message with a missive in all caps: “HOW CAN YOU TRUST WHAT THIS GOVERNMENT/DOJ SAYS?WE CAN’T.
David Yaffe-Bellany writes about cryptocurrencies from San Francisco. Se can be reached at davidyb@nytimes. com. Learn more about David Yaffe-Bellany
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