New angle from Butler, PA - Appears to show staging of Trump's "Fight, fight, fight" photo.

[Snarkoleptic]

Staffers moving reporters into position, flag being lowered to be in the frame, making it all look prearranged.
Why did Trump vanish from media for 3-days prior? Dry runs to be sure they could pull it off?
It sounds a bit like conspiracy, but the video shows hard to explain behavior.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MarchAgainstNazis/comments/1m2ajwf/new_angle_of_trumps_assassination_attempt_what/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Feasible but need more evidence

[NoRethugFriends]

2. Poppycock

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. So, we have a feeble demented 78 year old man

Who was able to give a speech knowing that at any moment he would have to fake being shot in the ear and then being thrown to the ground, while a bystander and the shooter are actually shot and killed (unless…they were paid crisis actors…)?

Reality is the Dominant Paradigm- are you trying to subvert it?

Kooky CT nonsense.

Remember, Trump was on the ground for several minutes, giving any astute staffer the opportunity to stage manage the aftermath as he was moved to the car.

[Snarkoleptic]

9. USA Today has a detailed timeline showing he was on the ground no more than 1:25.

Herding the reporters, lowering the flag, Trump selling merch and painting himself a martyr all seems to line up.
SS is supposed to clear 1000 meters, yet a kid shooter was 300 meters from the stage.
Not sure what all happened, but I have questions.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/14/timeline-trump-rally-shooting-butler/74397945007/

6:11 p.m. −
As Trump spoke to the audience, the suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage and Trump grabbed his ear, then dropped the ground and someone could be heard saying, "shots shots shots."
...
6:12:25 p.m.
The agents prepare to move Trump offstage, but he tells them to wait. With blood dripping from his ear over a portion of his face, Trump lifts his fist in the air — prompting a loud cheer from the rally crowd — and mouths the word “fight” three times while pumping his fist.

[Scrivener7]

10. Kid shooter was also a maga.

https://www.newsweek.com/thomas-matthew-crooks-donald-trump-sign-yard-neighbor-assassination-attempt-1925678

[Fiendish Thingy]

11. So the SS was in on the hoax?

While two real people were shot and killed?

Do you think they were “crisis actors”?

The famous photo of Trump raising his fist with the flag in the background was taken several minutes after he was shot, as he was being escorted down the stairs to his car. Your timeline says he left the scene 3 minutes after the shooting- plenty of time move photographers into position near the stairs.

Staffers knew he would have to descend that staircase to get to the car, it’s as simple as that.

[Snarkoleptic]

15. SS ineptitude is a possbility and people died for this stunt.

Based on the timeline I posted above, it was no more than 1-minute 25-seconds from touching his ear to the "fight" photo.
Who lowered the flag into the frame and why?
Why isn't Trump whining 24/7 about Butler?
Where's the ER report?
I've got questions.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/14/timeline-trump-rally-shooting-butler/74397945007/

6:11 p.m. ?
As Trump spoke to the audience, the suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage and Trump grabbed his ear, then dropped the ground and someone could be heard saying, "shots shots shots."
...
6:12:25 p.m.
The agents prepare to move Trump offstage, but he tells them to wait. With blood dripping from his ear over a portion of his face, Trump lifts his fist in the air — prompting a loud cheer from the rally crowd — and mouths the word “fight” three times while pumping his fist.

[Fiendish Thingy]

16. So, you believe the shooting was staged, and arranged in advance by the campaign?

Trump knew in advance he would be “shot”, but the SS did not?

All for a dramatic photo op?

That is kooky CT nonsense.

[Snarkoleptic]

23. I think it may have been staged.

Not sure who was in on the joke, but his campaign got a lot of gas from it.

[Fiendish Thingy]

24. A "joke" that killed two people and wounded a few others?

That was all “staged”?

Do you believe the SS shot and killed the shooter?

Do you believe a member of the crowd was killed that day?

[Wuddles440]

52. Have you ever been a Federal LEO and organized, participated in, and/or...

supervised an operation regarding dignitary protection? If so, maybe your dismissive opinion of this event being "staged" would possibly establish some professional credibility and insight for your arguments but, if not, your conclusions regarding this matter are not overly compelling or persuasive. I served 30 years as a Federal LEO in such protective security operations, and the subsequent 'official" narrative regarding this alleged assignation attempt is extremely suspect as it is direct conflict with established operational policies, guidelines, norms, and protocols.

[Fiendish Thingy]

68. So the flaws in the narrative suggest it was staged?

To me the more obvious, Occam’s razor explanation is the flaws in the narrative are a result of a bunch of people with their careers on the line playing a major game of CYA.

Didn’t the incident result in the resignation of the Trump appointed head of the SS?

The SS has been falling apart for years- remember the team of agents busted for partying with prostitutes while Obama was in, IIRC, Latin America?

Also, IIRC, Biden had to replace most of his detail, due in part to the First Lady not trusting the agents who used to work on Trump’s detail to protect them properly.

Those are just a couple of the most memorable anecdotes about the decline of the SS.

Also remember, on January 6, Trump wanted reduced security measures because he was certain none of “his people” would try to hurt him.

Makes much more sense to me.

If the SS was in on the hoax, that’s a LOT of mouths that have to stay shut - they couldn’t even stop from telling about Hillary throwing a lamp at Bill…

[brush]

42. See post 40. Do you actually believe anything coming from the trump admin?

Last edited Fri Jul 18, 2025, 02:08 PM - Edit history (1)

[lapfog_1]

4. There should either be a scar or a chunk of ear missing.

but there is neither.

and the bandage came off rather quickly for a 70+ year old ( we don't heal that fast ).

but there was actual bullets fired in his direction. Killed the poor audience member.

Who would have been convinced to climb to the roof and shoot at someone near the President? The proposed shooter would have to know that he was going to be killed by SS snipers. So find someone willing to die to get Trump elected? And do it without leaving anyone willing to spill the conspiracy? Seems unlikely.

[travelingthrulife]

6. He was probably asked to shoot above the crowd but he screwed up the shot.

Never underestimate the gullibility of MAGA.

The act got Trump a lot of true believers votes since Jesus spared him and all.

[yardwork]

12. I guess that's possible.

I've been very reluctant to believe that TrumpCo planned this shooting because a person in the crowd was shot and killed, and the shooter himself was shot and killed.

So to believe that this was planned we have to believe that somebody talked that kid into shooting at Trump while he was standing in front of a crowd, knowing there would likely be other victims. And we have to believe that the kid was told not to shoot Trump but to make it look close. And we have to believe that demented Donny pulled off the acting of a lifetime, as he reacted in split-seconds. And we have to believe that this kid thought he'd survive or was so committed he was ready to die for the cause. And we have to believe that whoever planned this either involved dozens of local, state and federal law enforcement in this conspiracy (and not one has broken silence) or just hoped nobody would notice the kid on the roof.

All this seems rather implausible to me. I think it was just dumb luck for TrumpCo and a tragedy for the people who died. And the rest of us.

Also, whatever grazed Trump's ear barely broke the skin and that's why it healed quickly. More dumb luck.

[karynnj]

76. Not to mention, only a very very tiny change in angle could have seriously killed Trump

There is no way the Trump team, especially Trump himself would have approved this. Not to mention, if they were going to do something like this, would they use a young kid, who was probably not the most skilled marksman and likely to get nervous?

As to the photo, Trump IS a show man. He likely realized pretty quickly that he was not seriously injured AND he struck a pose.

[yardwork]

78. Agreed.

I have to give Trump credit for recognizing the greatest photo op of his life and rising to the challenge (literally).

I find it easier to believe that Trump the narcissist did this than that he somehow faked the whole thing.

I think it was just incredible bad luck for our nation (and millions worldwide) that Trump was handed this photo op. And very sad for the people who died.

[Snarkoleptic]

7. Ronny Jackson publicly stated Trump had a 2cm gunshot wound, which is untrue.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/20/trump-shooting-doctor-letter-00169963

Former President Donald Trump was evaluated with a CT scan after he was grazed by a bullet and sustained a 2 cm-wide wound to his ear last week, according to a new memo from Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), who previously served as his physician.

[yardwork]

13. That is obviously a lie but nothing new from that quack.

[Attilatheblond]

26. Known drinker doctor may have been seeing double.

[brush]

40. Pretty obvious IMO the SS and the kid shooter were in on it, but the kid shooter...

didn't know the SS was also going to take him out immediately after the shots were fired so he could never reveal the plot and who recruited him.

The SS and the others of the trump cabal in on the plot, didn't give a shit about the collateral damage...the audience members being killed or wounded. No way the SS would let that kid get that close to the stage with a clear shot line to the podium unless it was on purpose. And it should not be ignored that the SS made sure their sniper had a clear sight line to the kid shooter.

It was staged and cold blooded as hell. That's who we're dealing with in this admin.

[biophile]

58. The kid was probably told he would never be convicted or see prison

Drumpf would pardon him for his part in the scheme. They just didn’t tell him why he would never see jail- because he would be dead!
This theory may not be plausible to some but it is still possible- I put nothing past these MAGATS

[brush]

60. Absolutely. Agreed. The magats will stop at nothing. As you say, the kid never had a chance as he would be dead.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. How much investigating was done afterward?

Did things add up? Any accounting for discrepancies? The whole incident remains a most unlikely series of events.

He got on the roof? No one noticed? Reports said security watched him for a whole minute before he started firing so they started firing. That's insufficient vigilance surrounding an important political figure. Maybe they just didn't expect it in a small town.

[Scrivener7]

8. I just posted about this inside another thread. Here are the odd happenings the new video shows:

A member of the Taco team is allowed to cross below the stage as Taco is on the ground, while no one should have been near the stage. That person then ushers a handful of photographers to the spot below the stage, then tells them to move to the right so they are positioned perfectly for the photo op. THEN the crane lowers the flag to be within the photo angle.

From the comments of the crowd, this all happens before the crowd knows whether he is alive or dead.

THEN Taco stands up and they take the perfect photo. The member of the Taco team then moves them again to near the stairs. Again, a spot where no one should have been allowed to go. Again, positioned for a perfect photo. It appears that THAT photo becomes the official maga photo that has been circulated by the Taco team.

[Fiendish Thingy]

17. So the Trump team knew in advance that he would be shot?

And the SS didn’t?

[Scrivener7]

20. The SS let the shooter, a 22 year old hapless maga,

waaaaaay inside the typical perimeter.

I guess the nursing home orderly just outmaneuvered the SS.

[brush]

43. SS was in on it too.

[John1956PA]

14. The hydraulic boom which supported the flag suddenly dropped as hydraulic fluid sprayed the crowd.

Last edited Fri Jul 18, 2025, 10:33 AM - Edit history (1)

The timing of the spray from the hydraulic lift coincides with Trump reaching for his ear. A few days after the event, an engineer posted a video (I wish that I could locate it now) expressing his opinion that the first bullet projectile grazed Trump's right ear and then proceeded to strike some component of the hydraulic lift which caused it to spray the crowd with hydraulic fluid, resulting in the descent of its boom.

[Fiendish Thingy]

18. You're just providing inconvenient facts to spoil a perfectly good conspiracy theory.

I like it.

[John1956PA]

21. Thank you. The least that should be able to do in follow up . . .

. . . will be to post a link to a video taken from the broad view which shows the timing of the hydraulic fluid spraying with the first volley of shots. I will try to do that later today.

[Scrivener7]

25. See post 22. You may like it, but it's not fact. It never happened. It's just a conspiracy theory.

[Fiendish Thingy]

28. So, you believe the shooting was staged?

The Trump team knew in advance?

[Scrivener7]

29. Yes. Not the whole team, but a few who needed to know.

[Fiendish Thingy]

30. Thanks

Good to know.

I reject kooky CT nonsense.

[Scrivener7]

31. But you believed the boom was shot when the owner has confirmed that it wasn't. So there's that.

[Fiendish Thingy]

33. I believe the boom wasn't deliberately lowered to put the flag in the perfect photo op.

Seems like the boom owner could be interviewed about that speculation, unless…he was in on it too…

[Scrivener7]

34. And you believed the boom was shot when the owner

has confirmed that it wasn't.

[John1956PA]

59. My Reply No. 57 contains the following image taken from a video showing the spray of hydraulic fluid.

That video appears in an X post which states that the spray came from a damaged hydraulic line of a tractor (shown to be green in color in the video). It is reasonable to suggest that the tractor's engine may have been operating a hydraulic pump which pressurized the hydraulics of the boom which suspended the large American flag.

[Scrivener7]

62. Except the boom owner says his equipment was not damaged. See post 22.

[John1956PA]

69. The damage might have been to some other a component of the pressurized hydraulic schematic.

The engine of the green tractor might have been powering a pump which pressurized the hydraulics of the boom. If the projectile damaged the right type of hydraulic component of the green tractor (or damaged the pressure line between the pump on the tractor and the cylinder of the boom), the type of spray shown in the video would have occurred. The sudden loss of hydraulic fluid in the pressurized circuit would have led to a spontaneous descent of the boom which suspended the flag.

[Scrivener7]

71. Read the article linked at post 22. The guy owned the booms and the cranes. He has confirmed his equipment

wasn't damaged.

[John1956PA]

73. I am talking about the green tractor.

Regardless of who owned what (or which item of equipment was struck) there was damage to some item of hydraulic equipment, and that damage resulted in a spray of hydraulic fluid. The video presents three things happening at nearly the same time: the first shot rings out, the spray occurs, and the boom spontaneously descends. A logical conclusion is that the first bullet grazed trump and went on to strike some component in the hydraulic system supporting the flag, which caused the spray of hydraulic fluid and the spontaneous descent of the boom holding the flag.

[Scrivener7]

75. OK, but the guy who owned the cranes and booms for the flags said his equipment wasn't damaged.

This equipment must be for something else.

[John1956PA]

77. No. 1: The guy is a MAGA who said he would loan the equipment all over again. I do not trust what MAGAs say.

No.2: He never said he owned the green tractor, which might have been powering the crane. (I think the terms "crane and "boom" can be used interchangeably.) Somewhere, there may be a report as to the mechanics and/or hydraulics addressing the means or schematic as to how the crane/boom was fixed in its towering position. Such report might also describe, specifically, which component(s) of machinery was (were) damaged. Dissemination of that report might allow some of the questions in this thread to be answered.

No. 3: The hydraulic schematic (which produced the spray of hydraulic fluid) was powering something. The only suggestion as to what it was powering is the crane/boom which was holding the flag.

[Scrivener7]

79. LOL! Yes, no doubt the green tractor was powering something. Just not the flags. BECAUSE the owner

of the boom and crane (no, those are not interchangeable) has confirmed his equipment was not damaged.

You'll insist the green tractor was powering the flags again, which it wasn't, so I'll bow out of this circle.

Have a nice evening.

[John1956PA]

80. I am curious, what is the difference between a boom and a crane? I do not know, and I would like to learn.

I got this definition from Merriam Webster:

Boom: a long beam projecting from the mast of a derrick to support or guide cargo.

Also, I do not know what equipment the MAGA man loaned to the event. Maybe there is a report which indicates what the equipment was. If he loaned both "booms" and "cranes" as you indicate, I would like to see images of them for my own edification

I see nothing to LOL about.

[Fiendish Thingy]

32. Do you believe Trump knew?

I mean, if they were going for a historic photo op at the cost of at least a few innocent lives, wouldn’t they have him rehearse the “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Cry a few times?

(I guess the “I need to find my shoes” was an ad lib- what a comic genius)

[Scrivener7]

37. Yes.

[Fiendish Thingy]

35. So, Susie Wiles and Chris Civitta (sp?) knew for sure? Nt

[Scrivener7]

36. I don't know who knew. I know that a 22 year old maga nursing home orderly outmaneuvered the Secret Service

to get within 150 meters of trump toting an AR15. I know multiple people in the crowd pointed out said maga nursing home orderly with the AR15 to the police and security and they were ignored. I know a perfect photo was perfectly staged including photographers moving around the area that should have been evacuated. I know there was no wound or scab or scar about a week later. I know that the SS violated many of their own protocols during the incident.

You know you think there's nothing to see here, and all that is just coincidence.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

[brush]

45. You're making good points. The only thing I don't agree on is that the shooter our maneuvered the SS.

The kid shooter and SS were in on the plot, but the SS didn't let the kid know he was going to taken out too.

See post 40.

[Scrivener7]

46. I agree with you, and I think the fact the kid was maga supports you. But the person I was responding to is

certain it was all on the up and up, so I was stating it in those terms. I think it's highly unlikely the nursing home orderly did outmaneuver the United States Secret Service. But as the other poster believes there is no collusion in this, I assume he has to believe that the kid did just that.

[brush]

48. We're on the same page.

[uponit7771]

66. This !! It doesn't take a village to stage this just a few insiders

[hamsterjill]

74. I agree with this.

It was definitely a staged event. How do I know?

Because the orange turd would have been shitting in his pants if he'd actually thought he was in danger. He would not have gotten up and fist pumped. He's too much of a coward, and he's too much of a germaphobe. If he was bleeding, he would have wanted the wound covered ASAP and he would have been worried about that more than anything.

There is no scar tissue on the close ups of his ear post event. No medical records. As to the shooter and the person who died, who knows if they were in on it, set up, or enjoying life on some desert island nowadays.

I don't have all of the answers. No one does. But I felt it was fake from the time it happened, and I've never changed my mind.

[Snarkoleptic]

22. I hadn't heard that, so searched for info and found a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/election-2024/2024/07/18/trump-butler-rally-flag-cranes/stories/202407180124

After Trump was evacuated, Mr. DeLullo said he was approached by a state trooper and FBI agents who told him they believed his cranes had been struck by bullets. Authorities eventually determined the cranes had not been damaged, but they remained on site because of the investigation.

[John1956PA]

27. Here is a video posted on X.

Link to tweet

[WhiteTara]

47. perfect timing for the photo

[BoRaGard]

19. Color me surprised. Not at all.

republicons have no honor.

[Melon]

38. Crazy conspiracy theory that somehow survives here.

[ms liberty]

39. Ben Franklin: "Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead""

That's what keeps me in the undecided column. This will come out if it was a hoax because it would have needed too many players to keep it secret forever. At some near point, either an odd spate of fatal "accidents" will happen or someone will flap their jaws.

[Norrrm]

41. First rule of assassination... Kill the assassin.

[CozyMystery]

44. Book recently published about this

Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland, by Salena Zito

Salena Zito is a reporter who was at the rally and who had a lot of access to DT.

This book is a love letter to DT. Totally biased.

I bought and read it because I lived in Butler for a dozen years. I figured she would have a lot of negative things to say about the town, but she did not.

[eShirl]

49. so was killing the veteran part of the plan too or just an accident

[Greg_In_SF]

50. I sure hope this

is the dumbest thing I see today.

Flag lowered in to place? Seriously? One of the bullets took out the hydraulics on the crane holding the flag

[Scrivener7]

51. See post 22. The vehicle that was shot wasn't the crane holding the flag.

[John1956PA]

63. As I have suggested in other posts on this thread, the green tractor might have taken the hit by the projectile.

The video of the spray of the hydraulic fluid suggests that the spray came from the vicinity of the tractor. It is possible that the tractor's engine was powering a hydraulic pump which pressured a hydraulic line to the boom which suspended the flag. When one member of the configuration of pressurized hydraulic components failed because of the damage from the projectile, the boom spontaneously descended.

[riversedge]

53. I have always been puzzled as to why the flag was lowered over the scene. Maybe someone

provided an explanation but I missed it. Just saying.

[John1956PA]

57. My Reply No. 20 contains a link to an X video showing a spray of hydraulic fluid . . .

. . . which was from the configuration of equipment which featured a boom suspending one of the two large flags. The boom spontaneously began to lower when the spray of hydraulic fluid occurred. The spray began immediately after the first shot sounded. Here is still from the video:

[egduj]

54. Reddit never fails to entertain.

[EarthAbides]

55. Simple...

I think the kid was duped into being a "hero." I think the kid was told by a handler that somebody in the crowd was going to assassinate the fascist pig and he, the kid, could become a hero by shooting the assassin. The kid was not aiming at the the fascist pig, but someone else in the audience. After a couple of shots from the so-called assassin, the kid's handler killed the kid.

[JoseBalow]

56. Like moths to a flame

If you build it, they will come

[Celerity]

61. Hard pass on this tinfoilhatism CT bollocks. It's a bad look for DU to see this BlueAnon crackpottery flung out here.

[uponit7771]

67. DUers don't trust Trump enough to give him any benefit of the doubt on anything

[Celerity]

70. It's not giving Trump the benefit of the doubt, it's taking a clip and immediately using a frame of wild CT

[demmiblue]

82. It's embarrassing.

[uponit7771]

64. I'm leaning stages at this point, TF was that shit ?!!

[ForgedCrank]

65. I'm wore

out with this garbage. I think our party may be doomed if this is what we've got to work with.

[doc03]

72. So they knowingly sacrificed a MAGA voter and the shooter was such a good shot the bullet just

barly touched Trump's ear. I can believe maybe just a bullet or glass fragment caused the blood or it was from
someone else. But the whole thing being staged no way.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

81. I doubt anything hit his ear

except maybe some stage blood. There is NOTHING there. Where's the scar? Where's the chunk missing from the ear that would have been taken out if a bullet hit it? No wound on his fat head? Anything hitting his ear would have at least grazed his head.

FFS, when peaceful protesters were outside the White House baby Huey was hiding in the secret underground hiding place, scared shitless. But sure, let's pretend he's super brave after supposedly getting shot at. GMAFB.

Anyone thinking the MAGAt admin gives a flying fuck about killing someone for his royal fatness, where have you been???