A quarter of Americans and 34% of Democrats believe the WHCD shooting was staged: NewsGuard/YouGov
The survey found 56% also said the Washington Hilton shooting was staged or were unsure, underscoring partisan and generational skepticism.
- Nearly 30 percent of Americans believe at least one assassination attempt against President Donald Trump was staged, according to a YouGov poll of 1,000 adults conducted for NewsGuard from April 28 to May 4.
- Conspiracy theories alleging staged shootings have circulated since the July 2024 Pennsylvania rally, when social media users claimed Trump faked the incident with a 'blood pill,' intensifying after the April 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner attack.
- Democrats proved significantly more skeptical than Republicans across incidents: 34 percent versus 13 percent for the April dinner, while the Butler shooting showed a 42 percent to 7 percent gap. Younger Americans aged 18 to 29 were far more doubtful than those 65 and older.
- NewsGuard editor Sofia Rubinson told The Washington Post the results show people across the political spectrum distrust the Trump administration and press. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle dismissed the findings, stating 'Anyone who thinks President Trump staged his own assassination attempts is a complete moron.'
- Only 38 percent of Americans believe all three assassination attempts were authentic despite no evidence supporting staged claims, prompting experts including author Steven Brill to warn the poll reflects broader erosion of shared factual consensus.
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67 Articles
One in eight Republicans questions the official version of Donald Trump's assassination attempt at the White House Correspondent Dinner. More info: The 18 minutes of panic in which the shooter had the Secret Service check: reconstruction of the Trump bombing
Democrats still in denial about assassination attempts against Trump, new poll shows
Some Democrats refuse to believe their lying eyes, no matter how many attempts are made on Donald Trump's life.Despite a wounded Secret Service agent, a room full of witnesses evacuated from the premises, and video footage of a gunman on a rampage, a sizeable number of Democrats still do not believe anyone tried to kill President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last month, a new poll shows.According to a NewsGuard poll released M…
White House Calls Americans 'Morons' After Poll Shows They Doubt Trump Assassination Attempts Were Real
The White House has pushed back sharply after a new poll found that a majority of Americans either doubt or are unsure about reported assassination attempts against Donald Trump, with an official describing those who believe the incidents were staged as 'a complete moron.' The remark followed the release of a NewsGuard and YouGov survey on May 11, 2026, which measured public scepticism around three separate alleged attempts on the former preside…
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Bias Distribution
- 37% of the sources lean Left
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