Survey indicates greater adherence to conspiracy theory among Democrats and young people aged 18 to 29
One in 4 adults in the United States says that the shooting of the (Republican Party) in April, during the White House journalists’ dinner, was staged. The information is contained in a survey by the company NewsGuard, in partnership with YouGov, published by the North American newspaper Washington Post this Monday (May 11, 2026).
The study was conducted on 1,000 adults from April 28 to May 4.
The results show partisan division. According to the survey, 1/3 of Democratic respondents say they believe the event was a hoax. Among Republicans, this proportion is 1/8.
Young people aged 18 to 29 are also more likely to doubt the legitimacy of the episode compared to older people.
According to the Washington Postconspiracy theories circulating on the internet falsely claim that the Trump administration faked the incident to increase support for the president and the Republican Party.
However, a federal grand jury in Washington indicted the alleged shooter, Cole Tomas Allen, on 4 serious crimes, including attempting to assassinate the president. Standing in Federal Court in Washington, Allen said he was innocent.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement cited by the newspaper that “Anyone who thinks President Trump staged his own assassination attempts is a complete idiot”.
CONTEXT
The April incident at the Washington Hilton hotel occurred after two other assassination attempts against Trump in 2024: one at a rally in Butler (Pennsylvania) and another at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach (Florida). According to the report from the Washington Postskepticism is not limited to the most recent event:
- Butler – 24% of respondents say the attack was staged;
- Florida – 16% of those interviewed say that the attack at the golf club was a hoax.
In total, 21% of Democrats say they believe the 3 episodes were faked, compared to 3% of Republicans and 11% of independents.
Sofia Rubinson, editor of NewsGuard, said the results highlight Americans’ distrust of the government and the press.
Joan Donovan, professor at Boston University interviewed by the Washington Postdeclared that the scenario reflects the transformation of the government apparatus into a kind of “reality show”.
