What was claimed
The Secret Service agents shielding Donald Trump from gunfire were smiling.
Our verdict
False. The photo of the supposed smiling agents has been doctored.
AAP FACTCHECK – Spoof images and various conspiracies are circulating in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Among the claims is that Secret Service agents were pictured smiling as they moved Trump from the stage.
However, the photograph in question has been doctored.
The image, which is circulating on social media, shows Trump with blood on his face being escorted off stage by three grinning guards.
“Why are these Secret Service guys all smiling?” one user writes.
But a reverse search shows the original photo, captured by Evan Vucci for the Associated Press, in which the guards are not smiling.
Following the attack, Trump spent the night at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Since then, posts have spread online supposedly showing him playing golf just hours later.
He's pictured wearing a red hat and driving in a golf cart.
“Imagine getting shot at 7pm and still making your 9am tee time. Savage,” one user writes.
A reverse image search shows the original is from September 12, 2022.
Republican Senator Mike Lee made a similar post on his personal X account, claiming a video shows Trump at a golf course the morning after the assassination attempt.
But Politico correspondent Meridith McGraw debunked the timing of the clip on X.
“Bedminster is closed to members today. Spoke with two members who said they cannot access the property because of security,” Ms McGraw writes. “This video was not taken today per the account that posted it.”
The social media user who appears to have originally posted the clip has also confirmed the footage is not recent.
Senator Lee has also since admitted the clip is not current.
Various conspiracies have been spreading since the shooting on July 14, many of which claim it was a false flag operation.
False flag is a term conspiracy theorists use to describe events they believe are orchestrated by governments to push a political agenda.
The phrase “Staged” was trending on X in Australia and the US shortly after the attack.
There’s no evidence to suggest the attempted assassination was staged or a false flag operation.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, has been identified as the gunman behind the attempted assassination attempt. He was killed at the scene.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
