News of an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has taken China’s heavily censored social media by storm, prompting conspiracy theories and a mockery of the U.S. political landscape.
As the news spread to China on Monday, discussions concerning the incident were trending on the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo, with netizens pointing out how Trump had just recently escaped an attempt on his life at a campaign rally on July 13.
Other outlandish conspiracy theories proliferated on the platform, mentioning religious groups.
Separate from the conspiracy theories, many netizens theorized that Trump stood to benefit from the incident.
In a fundraising email shortly after the incident, Trump said he was safe and in good spirits.
Persons:
Donald Trump, “, Trump, Shooter, ” Weibo, Shen Yi, Harris, Ryan Wesley Routh, Routh, ”
Organizations:
Republican, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Weibo, Trump, Fudan University’s Department of International, Democrats, NBC News
Locations:
Trump’s Florida, China, Trump, American