President Donald Trump accused a protester injured by police officers in Buffalo, New York, of violating the law of gravity today, tweeting, “I watched, he fell harder than was pushed.”
The protester, 75-year-old Martin Gugino, remains hospitalized but is out of intensive care after suffering a head injury when he fell backwards and hit his head on a concrete sidewalk.
Trump’s tweet was apparently prompted by a conspiracy theory he saw on right-wing One America News. The tweet read, “Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?”
Neither One America News nor the president has provided any evidence that Gugino is associated with AntiFa, or had or aimed any type of scanner, or could black out police communications equipment, or has the ability to violate the law of gravity.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh MacEnany suggested that Mr. Gugino could have avoided injury “if he’d fallen softer than he was pushed. Or worn a tin foil hat, like the president.”