Nearly a third of Americans skeptical about Trump assassination attempts: survey

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Monday, May 11, 2026

Nearly a third of Americans, and even more Democrats, believe at least one of the three known assassination attempts against President Donald Trump was fake, according to a recent survey.

The national YouGov survey of 1,000 Americans, which was conducted from April 28 to May 4, asked respondents to respond "true," "false" or "not sure" in response to whether the assassination attempts against Trump — including at a July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania; at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024; and last month at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C. — were staged.

The survey found that only 38% of respondents believe all three assassination attempts were authentic. A majority, averaging 54% across all three events, said they believe the attempts were staged or were unsure about it.

The survey also found a stark partisan divide on the issue, with 21% of Democrats claiming they believe all three assassination attempts were staged, compared to 11% of independents and only 3% of Republicans.

Conversely, 47% of Republicans and 38% of independents said they believe all three events were real, though only 15% of Democrats adhered to such a view.

Regarding the most recent assassination attempt on April 25 at the Washington Hilton during the correspondents' dinner, there was a 21-point gulf between the 34% of Democrats who dismissed the event as staged and the 13% of Republicans who agreed.

Conspiracy theories began to swirl almost immediately after 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen brought the annual WHCA dinner to an abrupt end when he allegedly stormed a security checkpoint armed with firearms and knives in an attempt to enter the ballroom where Trump and top government officials were gathered.

Many speculated without evidence that the event, which led to Allen being charged with four felonies, including an attempt to assassinate the president, was manufactured to promote Trump's planned ballroom at the former site of the East Wing. Allen pleaded not guilty to the charges against him on Monday.

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, summarized the attitude of many skeptics hours after the shooting, writing on Threads: "Has there ever been a president have this many close 'attempts' on their life? Maybe it's lax gun laws, maybe it's lack of mental health funding, or maybe it's fake … who knows …"

A spokesperson for the White House dismissed conspiracy theories doubting the authenticity of the assassination attempts against Trump, according to The Washington Post.

"Anyone who thinks President Trump staged his own assassination attempts is a complete moron," the spokesperson said.

While there is no evidence that Thomas Crooks' assassination attempt in Butler, which killed Corey Comperatore and wounded three others, including Trump, was staged, former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent claimed after resigning in March that the federal government prematurely shut down and restricted investigations into the shooting.

Kent also maintained that he faced similar stonewalling regarding the assassination of the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, citing potential foreign links.