In the immediate aftermath of the White House Correspondents' Dinner attack on Saturday night, social media lit up with conspiracy theories about the incident and its alleged perpetrator. Both left and right-wing accounts claimed, without evidence, that the attack was staged.

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and dozens of other high-profile administration officials and journalists were among those present when a suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen from California, allegedly ran past security towards the event. He was detained by law enforcement while the president and vice president were evacuated. Police stated that they believe Cole acted alone but did not provide further details on his intended target or motive.

On Bluesky, with its predominantly left-leaning user base, many people simply wrote 'STAGED' over and over again, echoing responses to previous events. On X, users claimed the shooting was staged as a way to bolster support for Trump's plan for a new ballroom in the White House. The president referenced this in both a press conference and a Truth Social post on Sunday morning.

These theories quickly gained traction, with some pointing to a Fox News clip where the station's White House correspondent Aishah Hasnie mentioned concerns about her safety prior to the shooting. 'Fox News just cut one of their reporters off as they seemed to indicate the shooting was pre-planned,' one user wrote on X.

The spread of these unfounded theories highlights how quickly and easily conspiracy theories can take hold in the digital age, serving as a stark reminder that truth is often the first casualty in this hyper-connected world.