Trump enters 'extraordinary moment' as key campaign trick backfires spectacularly: analyst

CNN host Abby Phillip noted on Wednesday that President Donald Trump's administration has entered an "extraordinary" moment as his base begins to turn against him over a new conspiracy theory. Over the last week, Trump's MAGA base has begun to speculate that the assassination attempt against the president's life in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024 may have been staged. That happened at a time when the Trump administration is facing significant criticism for its handling of the war in Iran and its collateral impact on the American economy. Phillip said during the Wednesday broadcast of her show, "NewsNight," that Trump seems to have primed his base to turn against him in this exact way because his 2024 campaign relied so heavily on conspiracy theories. "What's extraordinary about this moment is that Trump has primed his base to be very receptive to conspiracy theories," Phillip said. "And so some of the people who amped up Trump for years, like Tucker Carlson, when they now start saying things like this, it's not surprising that the base then picks it up hook, line, and sinker."