"Was the first shot"

Assassination attempt on Trump causes emotions to boil over

The picture of a lifetime was taken by New York Times photographer Doug Mills. It shows the bullet flying towards Donald Trump.

(Bild: Doug Mills/The New York Times)

"We're on the brink of civil war and that was the first shot!" Following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, fears are running high in America that the shots fired in Pennsylvania have lit the fuse to a powder keg. Not since the mid-19th century has the nation been so deeply divided - and the "B-word" is no longer just whispered.

The nation is being fed the latest facts about the attack around the clock by various news channels such as Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. From former President Barack Obama to current President Joe Biden and the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, all of the ex-president's major political opponents have strongly condemned the act of violence. But most citizens get their news from the internet - the social media. And there, conspiracy theories are whipped up from all sides.

The picture of a lifetime was taken by New York Times photographer Doug Mills. It shows the bullet flying towards Donald Trump.

(Bild: Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Many on the right and left don't believe it was a real assassination attempt
On the left, there is talk that the whole assassination attempt was only staged - by a Republican shooter - so that Trump could make headlines as a hero. On the right, people are convinced that the Biden camp is behind the attack - as the Secret Service ignored the shooter on the roof for several minutes. The word trending on X in the Red States: "Inside Job".

Thomas Crooks (small picture), seen here in an old school photo, is said to have fired the shots at Trump. Explosives were found in his house.

(Bild: AP/AP, privat)

The war between users has already broken out on Instagram, X and Facebook. With provocative memes about the assassination attempt, both sides are trying to stir up the mood against each other and further inflame emotions.

"A good 1000 people spontaneously unfriended me"
Influencer Lara Ruiz from Los Angeles was shocked by the aggression she received: "I just posted that I detest political violence and that I don't want to be friends with people who wish death on other people." She received a shitstorm like she had never experienced before. "A good 1,000 people spontaneously unfriended me and called me naive because it was all staged."

"This rhetoric led directly to the assassination!"
Some Republican members of Congress gleefully add fuel to the fire. Senator J.D. Vance, who is the favorite to become Trump's vice president, blames the Democrats for the assassination on X: "The Biden campaign says that Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped by any means necessary - this rhetoric led directly to the assassination!"

The anger of the commentators - either against the "fascist bomb-thrower" Vance or against the "Biden regime" - almost leaps out of the display and into your face.

Kateryna Korenvska spent Saturday night working as a DJ in a Hollywood club. Even in the Californian nightlife, the 28-year-old has felt the tensions and has even seen guests shouting at each other: "It's so terrible for me because I'm originally from Ukraine. I'm really scared for America, that it's going to explode here soon!"

Flowers for Trump removed with a jet of water
It is generally quiet in Los Angeles - probably because the number of Trump supporters here is very low. Early on Sunday morning, Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was deserted. Fans of the ex-president had laid down a few flowers - but these were removed from the pavement at 4 a.m. by city cleaners using a high-pressure jet.

Trump's star on the Walk of Fame

(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/MARIO TAMA)

"The only question now is: how far will we fall?"
In other areas of the US, where Republicans and Democrats are evenly represented, it will take more than a jet of water to calm the waters. The words of political commentator Zack Beauchamp on Vox the morning after the Trump assassination sound almost resigned: "A shooter's bullet sent our country tumbling towards the abyss. The only question now is: How far will we fall?"