A survey has found that a significant minority of Americans believe recent assassination attempts against former US President Donald Trump were staged, highlighting the spread of conspiracy theories and growing distrust in institutions.
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About one in four Americans say the April shooting during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was fabricated, according to a poll published on Monday by NewsGuard.
The survey indicates a strong partisan divide, with Democrats more likely than Republicans to doubt the authenticity of the incident.
Poll shows partisan differences
The poll found that 24% of US adults believed the shooting at the Washington Hilton hotel was staged. By contrast, 45% said the event was genuine, while 32% said they were unsure.
Among Democrats, roughly one-third of respondents said they believed the incident had been staged. Among Republicans, about one in eight shared that view.
Younger respondents were also more likely to suspect the event was fake. People aged between 18 and 29 were more inclined than older groups to say the shooting had been staged, the survey said.
The poll was conducted by YouGov between 28 April and 4 May and surveyed 1,000 American adults.
Charges filed over alleged attack
The survey comes after a federal grand jury in Washington, DC, indicted the alleged gunman, Cole Tomas Allen.
He faces four felony charges, including the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Authorities say the suspect was arrested following the shooting at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April.
Shortly after the incident, conspiracy theories circulated online claiming the Trump administration had staged the attack to boost support for the president, the Republican Party and a planned White House ballroom project.
The White House dismissed the claims. Spokesman Davis Ingle said suggestions that Trump staged an attempt on his own life were baseless.
Conspiracy claims extend to earlier incidents
The survey also examined views about two earlier assassination attempts against Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.
One occurred at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, while another took place at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
According to the poll, 24% of respondents believed the Butler rally shooting had been staged. Among Democrats, 42% held that view compared with 7% of Republicans.
For the golf club incident, 16% of respondents said they believed the attack was staged. That included 26% of Democrats and 7% of Republicans.
Overall, 21% of Democratic respondents said they believed all three incidents were fabricated. The same view was held by 11% of independents and 3% of Republicans.
Distrust fuels conspiracy thinking
Researchers say the findings reflect wider mistrust in political institutions and the media.
Sofia Rubinson of NewsGuard said the results showed growing scepticism across the political spectrum. She said many people distrust both government and news organisations, yet are more willing to believe unverified information circulating online.
Media manipulation researcher Joan Donovan said the results also reflected the theatrical nature of modern political communication.
She said the idea that the event was staged appeared “incredibly Hollywood”, suggesting that some people see politics increasingly through the lens of entertainment.
Jared Holt, who studies online extremism, said the results illustrated how conspiracy thinking has become more widespread in US politics.
He said such reactions were not surprising, describing the trend as a sign that conspiratorial interpretations of events are becoming more common.
Researchers added that people often turn to conspiracy theories when trying to understand complex events, particularly when trust in institutions is low.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 12 May 2026
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