President Trump on Tuesday shared an unfounded conspiracy theory that an incident in which an elderly man was pushed to the ground by police in Buffalo, N.Y., during a protest over the police killing of George Floyd could be a “set up.”
The president cited right-wing One America News Network (OANN) in making the incendiary claim, which comes amid a national debate over police brutality.
“Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment,” Trump tweeted, appearing to refer to a report on OANN.
“I watched, he fell harder than was pushed,” the president added. “Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?”
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Two Buffalo police officers were charged with assault after video went viral of them shoving Gugino after he approached them during the protest. The 75-year-old staggered and fell backward, hitting his head on the concrete and lying motionless as blood pooled on the sidewalk and the officers walked away.
The department originally claimed Gugino “tripped and fell.”
The officers, Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe, have pleaded not guilty in the incident. Gugino is still in the hospital.
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- Discussion
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Trump claims 75-year-old man shoved by Buffalo police could be part of "set up" https://t.co/ugyF3Y2zSt pic.twitter.com/B1JT7Vzltu
— The Hill (@thehill) June 9, 2020
I think I'll take the word of this guy instead. https://t.co/05Xe08zVb8
— Tobias Barnes (@TobiasBarnes1) June 9, 2020
So, we're entering the OANN/QAnon phase of the Trump presidency… this should work out fine.
(By the way, have you noticed how similar OANN and QANON look? Coincidence?) https://t.co/kT4NjLaT06
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) June 9, 2020
Hello everyone. The transition to greatness has officially begun. https://t.co/IrIreGaaXl
— Doug Brooks (@Hoosier84) June 9, 2020
I have hired superstar pollster john mclaughlin to investigate claims of elderly antifa supersoldiers armed with alien technology interfering with police by falling down on their skulls
— kilgore trout, potato thief (@KT_So_It_Goes) June 9, 2020
Still rubbing eyes at this tweet. The guy was bleeding from is ears and was hospitalized. That was…faked? https://t.co/65J2KWbwKS
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 9, 2020
If this tweet was a line in an Alec Baldwin impersonation, we'd say @NBCSNL finally went too far. But here we are.
— Drew Biemer (@DrewBiemer) June 9, 2020
Quite apart from the vile immorality of this tweet, does the president know how gravity works? https://t.co/F4SrkOoPbu
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) June 9, 2020
And to think, an entire conservative media industry exists to reassure his voters that it's "pearl clutching" to worry that a deranged man is president of the United States. https://t.co/p1wy5gSbYa
— David French (@DavidAFrench) June 9, 2020
He can’t stop. This is who he is. It isn’t schtick, or a tactic, or a political approach, or a mistake. This is who he is. It’s what he thinks, and how he thinks. He has for decades. Twitter shows us it, it doesn’t create it. https://t.co/P2n4eQk80z
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) June 9, 2020
Btw just talked to my smartest tech person and this is impossible technically here. Add specious conspiracy tech rambling to the steaming pile of crap here. pic.twitter.com/F7bnSrausP
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) June 9, 2020
As I've said before: He could pick a random name out of a phone book, call for them to be murdered, some #MAGA nutcase would do so and the GOP wouldn't do a damned thing. https://t.co/iMn84dVT2M
— Charles Gaba (@charles_gaba) June 9, 2020
What are the name of the hell are you yammering about, loon? https://t.co/6ei58OqAVX
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 9, 2020
Buffalo truthers in 3…2…1 https://t.co/6ei58OqAVX
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 9, 2020
You should ask for Gugino’s long form birth certificate while you’re at it. https://t.co/6ei58OqAVX
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 9, 2020
You really should be in a nursing home. #TrumpIsAnIdiot
— Mark Farina (@djmarkfarina) June 9, 2020
Schumer on Trump's tweet about 75-year-old protester: He "should go back to hiding in the bunker" https://t.co/FoBmQhZwpT pic.twitter.com/EHlULzdtYN
— The Hill (@thehill) June 9, 2020
Trump is, as usual, repeating a conspiracy theory that is all over the internet. Of course, to his fans, if Trump advances a conspiracy theory, it must be true.
I watched two versions of the video and in the first one, it was unclear what Mr. Gugino had in his right hand and what he was doing with it. In the second version, I could see for a split second what looked like a smartphone. But both videos were a bit blurry. Now there is a third version of the video going around and in it, a smartphone is plainly visible in Mr. Gugino’s right hand. This leads me to believe that someone was able to somehow clarify what was in the hand or the previous versions of the video were altered.
Well, @OANN has some explaining to do… https://t.co/KCMcOCGwrX
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 9, 2020
Apparent information flow:
– Some people on the Internet →
– The website Conservative Treehouse →
– A Russian state media veteran now working for One America News Network →
– The president of the United States— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) June 9, 2020
No job could possibly be worth this. https://t.co/EWYbknc7g7
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) June 10, 2020
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