Pope Francis recently said “fake news” was the root cause of last year's assassination attempt on President-elect Donald Trump.
Catholic News Agency reported on the Pope's annual “State of the World” address Thursday to members of the diplomatic corps accredited by the Holy See. In his remarks, Francisco pointed out that the root of social division and distrust is “fake news,” which culminated in President Trump being almost killed twice in 2024.
“This phenomenon creates a false image of reality, a climate of suspicion that incites hatred and undermines people's sense of security, endangering the coexistence of citizens and the stability of the country as a whole. “This is an attack on the Speaker and the next president of the United States,” he said.
Last July, President Trump narrowly escaped death when he was shot by would-be assassin Thomas Crooks with an AR-15 rifle at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The impostor's bullet hit Trump in the ear, but missed Trump's skull by less than an inch. Other bullets entered the crowd behind the then-Republican candidate, wounding two people and killing rally attendee Corey Comperatore.
Trump made his second assassination attempt in Florida just two months later after the US Secret Service threatened Ryan Routh before opening fire on Trump as he played golf at a golf course in Palm Beach County. Avoided. Authorities caught up with the would-be assassin and arrested him as he fled in a car, abandoning his AK-47.
As the Pope reminded his audience, Slovak Prime Minister Roberto Fico was shot and seriously injured by a would-be assassin in May while greeting supporters in the country. Local authorities arrested the suspect.
In his speech, President Francis said these assassination attempts were the result of society becoming more polarized due to misinformation and media bias.
“Society is becoming increasingly polarized due to a general sense of fear and distrust of others and the future, which is further exacerbated by the continued creation and spread of 'fake news,'” Francis said. he declared, using the term the president popularized in his speech. The beginning of his political career.
The Pope added that fake news “distorts not only facts but also perceptions.”
President Trump blamed false rhetoric pushed by the left for the shootings against him following an attempt on his life.
“He believed and acted on the rhetoric of Biden and Harris,” Trump told Fox News Digital about the second potential assassin in September last year. They are destroying our country from inside and outside, and their rhetoric led me to be shot.”
In his speech, Francis declared 2025 a special “Jubilee” year with hope as its central theme and called on humanity to heal the social divisions that led to these assassination attempts.
“My prayerful hope for this new year is that this Jubilee provides an opportunity for all people, Christians and non-Christians alike, to reconsider the relationships that unite us as human beings and as a political community.” he said.
