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A quarter of Americans and 34% of Democrats believe the WHCD shooting was staged: NewsGuard/YouGov
NewsGuard and YouGov found 24% of Americans said the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting was staged, with 32% unsure and partisan splits widening.
- 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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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…
·United Kingdom
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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hyun Young-bok = One in four Americans... regarding the shooting incident near the White House Correspondents Club dinner attended by U.S. President Donald Trump...
·Korea (the Republic of)
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources58
Leaning Left16Leaning Right12Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution41% Left
Bias Distribution
- 41% of the sources lean Left
41% Left
L 41%
C 28%
R 31%
Factuality
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