By Steve Neavling
In the hours following the shooting at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania, right-wing media figures and conservative influencers rallied around a baseless narrative on social media, claiming that diversity initiatives and female Secret Service agents were to blame for Donald Trump’s injury.
This baseless theory gained traction after images and edited videos of female Secret Service agents circulated online, accompanied by assertions that the attempt on Trump’s life occurred because the Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, is a woman, The Washington Post reports. Ann Coulter, a conservative commentator, endorsed a petition demanding Cheatle’s dismissal, pointing to her aim of increasing female representation in the agency to 30 percent.
Benny Johnson, a right-wing content creator, shared a video on X with the caption, “Absolute humiliation for this gaggle of female Secret Service Agents,” and added, “DEI Secret Service make Presidents LESS Safe.” His post garnered nearly 9 million views.
In a statement issued by the Secret Service on Monday, Cheatle said her agency responded quickly to the shooter.
“Secret Service personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of former president Donald Trump,” Cheatle said in a statement issued by the Secret Service on Monday.
The online uproar over the gender of the Secret Service agents highlights how partisan speculation can rapidly spread in the absence of authoritative information during national crises. Following the weekend shooting, both liberals and conservatives have inundated social media with unfounded claims about the attacker and the incident.
