A leftist gunman recently opened fire on an ICE facility, killing one and leaving two critically wounded. Whenever there is a high-profile shooting against a conservative target, the mainstream media’s first response is almost always the same: speculate that the attacker might be a Trump supporter.
Only after citizen journalists circulate videos, photos, and DHS statements online does the truth emerge, that the shooter was a leftist. At that point, the media quickly pivots to blaming conservatives, demanding new gun control, and arguing that right-wing rhetoric somehow “forced” the left into violence.
This script repeats itself after nearly every such attack. In ICE-related shootings, the press often shifts responsibility onto ICE itself, describing the agency as “Gestapo-like” and claiming its enforcement “endangers lives.” What they ignore is the obvious: it is left-wing shooters who endanger lives, and it is they who must be stopped.
The same narrative manipulation has appeared in other cases. After the Trump assassination attempt, the Charlie Kirk shooting, and several school shootings, reporters floated the idea that right-wing extremism was to blame, even when the perpetrators were clearly leftist, trans, or Islamic extremists.
This media playbook, misidentify, deflect, and rewrite, has become the default whenever violence is directed at conservatives or linked to ideologies inconvenient for the left.
On November 5, 2009, U.S. Army Major and psychiatrist Nidal Hasan fatally shot 13 people and injured more than 30 others at Fort Hood, Texas. It was the deadliest mass shooting on a U.S. military base and the worst terrorist attack in the country since September 11.
Witnesses reported that Hasan shouted “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire. Investigations later revealed that he had exchanged emails with terrorist leader Anwar al-Awlaki and had asked about becoming a martyr. In court, Hasan admitted he acted “in defense of the Taliban” and declared he had “switched sides” in what he called a U.S. war on Islam.
Despite these clear ideological motivations, the Department of Defense classified the massacre as “workplace violence” rather than terrorism. The decision was widely criticized by lawmakers, victims’ families, and security experts, who argued that it obscured the terrorist nature of the attack. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano emphasized that Hasan did not represent Islam, but critics accused the government and media of downplaying his extremist beliefs.
Survivors also suffered the consequences of this classification, being denied Purple Hearts and certain combat-related benefits, while Hasan continued to receive Army pay for years after the attack. Even Hasan’s attorney questioned the designation, stating that “workplace violence” was not a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and that Hasan had been charged with mass murder.
A similar pattern appeared in 2019 at Pensacola Naval Air Station, where Saudi military officer Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani killed three people. He was later found to have been motivated by al-Qaeda ideology. Yet in the immediate aftermath, the media and government again emphasized his role as a military trainee rather than his jihadist connections, softening the focus on ideological motivations.
In March 2023, 28-year-old Aiden Hale opened fire at The Covenant School in Nashville, killing three children and three adults before being shot by police. Investigators later revealed Hale, a transgender former student, had fantasized about mass shootings for years and targeted the Christian school believing its faith made staff and students “meek and afraid.”
Yet media coverage initially avoided key facts, major outlets left “Christian” out of headlines, and CBS even instructed reporters not to use the word “transgender.” When Hale’s identity was finally acknowledged, some outlets shifted blame toward Christianity or “anti-trans” sentiment rather than addressing the clear anti-Christian animus that drove the attack.
Coverage of the January 1, 2025, New Orleans truck attack followed the familiar media pattern of emphasizing the attacker’s veteran status and personal troubles while downplaying his allegiance to ISIS. Headlines led with “Texas-based Army veteran” and only secondarily noted his extremist sympathies, as in: “Army veteran from Texas who declared support for ISIS.” Officials reinforced this framing. FBI Special Agent Alethea Duncan initially said the Bourbon Street attack was not terrorism, while others pushed the “lone wolf” narrative.
Media reports also highlighted Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s struggles, citing failed marriages, financial problems, and isolation. His brother suggested possible mental health issues, and coverage often implied dysfunction rather than ideology. Analysts observed that this framing obscured the role of radicalization.
The evidence, however, was clear. Jabbar had posted multiple videos pledging allegiance to ISIS, kept an ISIS flag in his vehicle, and declared he had joined the group months earlier. In one video, he explained he chose the public attack over harming his family so headlines would highlight “the war between believers and disbelievers.” The FBI ultimately concluded he was fully inspired by ISIS and that the act was premeditated.
In August 2025, a gunman opened fire at a Catholic church in Minneapolis. Before any facts were confirmed, Rosie O’Donnell publicly claimed the shooter was “a white guy, Republican, MAGA person” and a “white supremacist.” She later apologized, admitting she had “messed up” and “did not do my due diligence.” The attacker was ultimately identified as Robin Westman, a transgender individual whose manifesto contained threats to “Kill Donald Trump” along with anti-religious and antisemitic statements.
On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a public event in Utah. Early media speculation suggested a MAGA supporter. MSNBC said that a MAGA fan might have accidentally fired a celebratory shot, killing him. The truth was very different. The shooter, 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson, was in a same-sex relationship with a roommate who was transitioning to female. He later confessed in text messages to his partner that he had planned and carried out the attack.
The media suppresses the truth for as long as they can. Then, when the truth finally comes out, far fewer people read the facts, and the original false narrative remains in people’s minds. Furthermore, now that we live in an age of AI, when people do a search to find out the truth, the first response will be based on the majority of news headlines and stories, with mainstream media given priority. Consequently, the false narrative will come out first. And sadly, many people simply accept the first response as correct, creating an endless feedback loop that perpetuates falsehoods.
