Donald Trump said he is happy to release his medical records and repeated his claim that he had “aced” cognitive tests. He told reporters that he has no symptoms of post-traumatic stress following an assassination attempt, and he enjoyed a perfect score on intelligence testing. The former President added that all candidates for high office should undergo cognitive testing, and he would happily do so again.
His remarks come as conspiracy theories expand online, with some people demanding to see records related to injuries sustained during the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Calls for the publication of his injury details increased after FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to Congress that he wasn’t sure if Trump was hit by a bullet or a projectile, prompting fury from the former President and his allies.
GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said it was clear that Trump was hit by a bullet, adding that there is “a lot of frustration” with federal agencies, including the FBI and the Secret Service.
Since the Pennsylvania rally, where 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at Donald Trump, killing an attendee and seriously injuring two others, conspiracy theories have flooded the internet. Initially, there were suggestions that Joe Biden and the Democrats organized for Trump to be assassinated, but the attempt failed. Other conspiracies contended that the FBI wanted to kill the former President, but more recently, social media users have suggested that Donald Trump arranged the incident so he could portray himself as a heroic survivor.
The hashtag “Staged” trended on Twitter on August 21, with several people remarking that Trump organized the incident and was not actually shot. Some Tweets even suggested that the Secret Service agents that surrounded Trump were in on the plot and staged the event so that Mr. Trump could pump his fist in the air. Others believe the blood that appeared on the former President’s face was not real and that he had placed a red liquid there himself. Most commonly, people said they do not necessarily believe it was staged but find the lack of detail on Trump’s injuries perplexing and believe releasing his medical records on how the ear was treated would put the matter to rest.
