Fact Check: Was Rachel Maddow suspended over comments on Trump assassination attempt?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that news program host Rachel Maddow was suspended over her comments about the incident.
Let us analyze the origins of the claim and fact-check it.
Claim: MS Now suspended Rachel Maddow over Trump comments
According to the claim, MS NOW suspended Maddow without pay after she said on ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ that the US would be "much better off" had one of President Trump's alleged assassins succeeded.
A post on X shared the claim, stating, “Rachel Maddow just got suspended without pay after openly cheering for Trump's assassination, told her audience America would be 'much better off' if one of the gunman had blown his head off!"
The post featured an alleged quote from the news network, saying, "MS NOW doesn't condone that kind of violent rhetoric."
Fact Check: The claim originated as a satire
The claim, however, is false, as MS NOW did not suspend Maddow, nor did she make the remarks about Trump's assassins.
A search on Google for the claim yielded no results from prominent news outlets, which, if true, would have been widely covered.
The claim originated from a popular Facebook parody account called ‘America’s Last Line Of Defense,’ which states in its bio, ‘Nothing on this page is real.’ Hence, the claim originated as satire.
Cole Allen sent an anti-Trump manifesto
The claim surfaced following the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, DC, on April 28.
The gunman was identified as Cole Thomas Allen, who, ten minutes before opening fire, sent an anti-Trump manifesto to his family, apparently listing why Trump is a bad president.
In the manifesto, which the suspect’s brother submitted to Connecticut police about two hours after the incident, the gunman expressed his shock over the lack of security during his cross-country journey to the Washington Hilton.
In the anti-Trump manifesto, the gunman mocked what he described as “nothing” in the name of security measures on his way to the Washington Hilton.
Federal investigators believe Allen traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, by train, with a stop in his native Chicago, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on 'Fox News Sunday.'
