Donald Trump's Tweet About Buffalo Police Shoving 75-Year-Old Man Sparks Controversy

President Donald Trump has sparked a new wave of controversy after pushing an unfounded conspiracy theory suggesting that viral video of a 75-year-old man being pushed to the ground by Buffalo police was a "set up." In a tweet shared Tuesday morning, the president said that Martin Gugino "could be an ANTIFA provocateur," citing One America News Network (OANN).

Trump's remarks came less than a week after video, first published by WBFO, showed two Buffalo police officers pushing Gugino to the ground during a protest against police brutality following the death of George Floyd. In the video, Gugino fell backward after being pushed and hit his head on the ground, blood pooling on the pavement as a number of officers passed by him without rendering him aid. A member of the National Guard eventually checked on him.

After the department originally claimed that Gugino "tripped and fell," Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood said two officers, Officers Aaron Torglaski and Robert McCabe, were suspended without pay. They have since been arrested and charged with second-degree assault. They have pleaded not guilty. Gugino, meanwhile, remains hospitalized with a concussion and lacerations, according to Syracuse.com.

Unsurprisingly, the president's words, which come amid rising tensions between the general public and police across the country in response to George Floyd's death, were met with swift backlash. Keep scrolling to see what social media has to say about Trump's remarks.