‘Up to all of us, including Congress, to lower the temperature and promote civil discourse,’ CRSM co-chairs say

In response to the assassination attempt against former President Trump at a political rally in Pennsylvania, the co-chairs of Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media released the following statement:

“There is no room for violence in our politics. The attempted assassination of former President Trump is unacceptable, and we unequivocally condemn this atrocious and un-American act,” said former Majority Leader and CRSM co-chair Dick Gephardt (D-MO). “No matter our political differences, we must remain peaceful and settle our disagreements at the ballot box.”

The attack on President Trump immediately sparked conflicting conspiracy theories on social media platforms, driving false information to Americans in real time as they grappled with the weekend’s events. According to the news transparency and rating service, NewsGuard, there were 308,000 mentions of the word “staged” on X (formerly Twitter) over the weekend, a 3,924% increase compared to the previous two days. During the same period of time, the phrase “inside job” experienced a 3,228% increase on the platform, with 83,000 mentions. Similar conversations are spreading across all social media platforms.

“We have seen the dangerous and deadly impact that inflammatory rhetoric, hyperpartisanship, and a toxic information environment have had on our democracy in recent years,” said former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts and CRSM co-chair Kerry Healey. “Unchecked social media platforms are driving this vitriol and propelling conspiracy theories in the aftermath of the attack. Tech companies have a responsibility to ensure that violence and conspiracy theories have no home on their platforms. And it’s up to all of us, including Congress, to lower the temperature at this critical moment and promote civil discourse.”