Trump ‘assassination attempt’ unleashes flood of misinformation on Chinese social media

News of an apparant assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump has taken China’s heavily censored social media by storm, prompting conspiracy theories and mockery of the U.S. political landscape. 

The Republican nominee was unharmed, and a suspect was taken into custody after shots were fired on Sunday in what the Federal Bureau of Investigation said “appears to be an attempted assassination” at Trump’s Florida golf course.

As the news spread to China on Monday, discussions concerning the incident were trending on the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo, with users pointing out how Trump had just recently escaped an attempt on his life at a campaign rally on July 13.

“Again?” many commenters questioned on the platform with over half a billion monthly users.

Millions viewed the viral hashtag, “Shooter was 457 meters from Trump,” which prompted discussions about how Trump was lucky and had “good fate.”

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a press conference on Sunday that the gunman had gotten between 300 and 500 yards of the politician.

Weibo quickly became a breeding ground for a number of conspiracy theories surrounding the authenticity of the incident and the motives of those involved, with users alluding to the act benefiting Trump in the polls. Other outlandish conspiracy theories proliferated on the platform, mentioning religious groups.

Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has developed one of the most stringent and effective widespread internet censorship operations in the world. Amid the rise of the global #MeToo movement, China quickly moved to censor related content on its internet.

Internet regulators had fined Weibo 3 million yuan ($470,000) in 2021, alleging it had repeatedly allowed illegal information onto its site.

With numerous crackdowns on digital content in recent years — including on the promotion of celebrities and “fan culture” — China’s authorities have maintained that the intended purpose is to nurture a “civilized” internet.

Still, theories about the former U.S. president remained on the platform at the time this article was published.

Shen Yi, a professor at Fudan University’s Department of International Politics, said on his verified Weibo account that the incident is “definitely not good news for Democrats. The potential favors that Harris might have gained over the presidential debate are going to be zeroed out.”

Three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that the suspect in the shooting, Ryan Wesley Routh, was under the custody of the Secret Service. Details surrounding Routh and his motives were still emerging. 

Many Weibo posts argued that the incident was an example of how the American political system is unstable and dominated by “terrorism and violence.”

“American democracy? There’s no democracy to speak about in a country with assassination against their president,” and “it’s safe to assume assassinations against dissidents are just a common tactic,” a blogger with 1 million followers said in a post. 

In a fundraising email shortly after the incident, Trump said he was safe and in good spirits.

“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” the email read.

— CNBC’s Zenith Wong and Anniek Bao contributed to this story.