Trump's assassination attempt ignites new divisions and conspiracy theories

ITV News' Correspondent Robert Moore has the latest on developments on the Trump assassination attempt.

The stunning image of Donald Trump raising his fist in defiance after a bullet grazed his right ear is one that will resonate with his supporters.

It is destined to be an iconic photograph, capturing this deeply divisive moment in American politics.

President Joe Biden and Trump spoke by phone late on Saturday night. It was a moment of civility between two bitter foes.

But online, it is a different story. The toxicity is extremely disturbing.

Many Trump supporters are claiming on various social media platforms that this was the Deep State plot trying to stop Trump's return to the White House.

Congressman Mike Collins, from Georgia, claimed that "Joe Biden sent the orders" to the assassin.

Senator JD Vance, a key Republican who may become Trump's vice presidential candidate, said on X that Biden's campaign is responsible for what happened. Vance wrote that Biden's rhetoric accusing Trump of fascism "led directly" to the attempted assassination.

Others are pointing out that last week Biden said - in the context of beating his opponent at the polls - "It's time to put Trump in a bullseye."

Political violence and attempted assassinations have been stalking American politics for years.

Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was badly wounded in Arizona in 2011. A senior Republican Congressman Steve Scalise was shot by a gunman while playing baseball in 2017.

And less than two years ago, the husband of Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House, was attacked inside his house by a man with a hammer.

In previous eras, there have been many assassinations of key political figures, especially in the 1960s, with the murders of President John F Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, and the civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

But there is no doubt this attempt to kill a former president has shaken America to its core.

If the bullet had been just a few centimeters closer to Trump's head, it would likely have killed him.

And in this wildly polarised environment that might have put America on a truly tragic path.

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