Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) claimed on the podcast Pod Force One that the July 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, was an “inside job” planned by the Biden administration. Her statement has sparked a wide debate among supporters and critics across the country.
Luna argued that the initial investigation was flawed because of the Biden administration’s involvement. She pointed to the FBI’s history of incompetence, citing the agency’s failure to locate the owner of a bag of cocaine found in the White House, and also expressed concern about the FBI’s destruction of evidence related to the case.
According to Mediaite, Luna’s main concern was that a group of snipers failed to show up at the scene, which she said created an opening for the shooter to take a shot at Trump. She said the area that was left unguarded was the perfect spot for an assassination attempt. The congresswoman also questioned the FBI’s lack of transparency and its failure to follow up on leads throughout the investigation.
The Butler shooting has become a magnet for wide-ranging conspiracy theories from both sides
Luna’s claim is not the first time this theory has come up. In recent weeks, a growing number of Trump supporters have begun questioning the official narrative surrounding the incident. Some have even suggested that Trump himself staged the assassination attempt to gain sympathy and votes. This comes at a time when Trump’s administration has faced several legal challenges on multiple fronts.
According to Wired, comedian Tim Dillon, a former Trump supporter, claimed that Trump staged the attempt to send a message to his supporters. Dillon suggested Trump should come forward and admit to it, saying, “some people are going to be upset by this, but we staged the assassination attempt in Butler to show people how important it was to vote for me and how far I was willing to go for them.”
Conservative commentators Tucker Carlson and Emerald Robinson have also pushed the growing conspiracy theory. Carlson promoted the idea that the FBI covered up the shooting, writing on social media that the agency “lied” about the shooter’s online footprint. Robinson went further than Carlson, claiming that the FBI was directly responsible for the shooting itself, though no evidence has been presented to support either claim.
Some claims have also been tied to anti-Semitic theories. Carlson questioned why Israel had “so much control over our government” and suggested the Butler shooting was connected to this alleged control. Candace Owens echoed this, claiming that Israeli-American donor Miriam Adelson was behind the attempted assassination.
Reports have also shown that a world leader’s offer to assist Trump on a separate matter was turned down with an unusual counteroffer. Far-right activist Ali Alexander, who organized the Stop the Steal campaign, took a completely different angle from the rest.
He claimed the assassination attempt was further evidence that Trump is the Antichrist, citing a passage from the Book of Revelation to support his position. Alexander’s theory stood apart from the others, showing just how wide the range of speculation has become around this single event.
On the other side of the political spectrum, left-wing accounts on social media claimed the shooting was orchestrated by the Secret Service and that Trump had used blood gel packs to draw sympathy and votes from the public. These claims were quickly debunked, but they highlight just how polarized the public reaction to the Butler shooting has been, with people on both sides pushing narratives that fit their existing beliefs rather than the known facts of the case.
Published: May 2, 2026 08:00 am