Poll: 24% Believe Trump Dinner Assassination Attempt Staged

A new poll shows that about one in four Americans believes an assassination attempt targeting President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents Association dinner last month was staged, highlighting widespread skepticism despite federal charges against the suspect.

The survey, conducted by YouGov for NewsGuard from April 28 to May 4 among 1,000 U.S. adults, found 24 percent of respondents viewed the April 25 incident at the Washington Hilton as fake, while 45 percent considered it legitimate and 32 percent were unsure. The results revealed sharp partisan differences: 34 percent of Democrats and 13 percent of Republicans said the event was staged. Younger respondents aged 18 to 29 showed higher doubt, with 32 percent believing it fake compared to 15 percent of those 65 and older.

The White House Correspondents dinner shooting marked the third such incident involving Trump in less than a year. In July 2024, gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing his ear and killing one attendee before Secret Service agents killed Crooks. Federal investigators determined Crooks acted alone. The poll recorded identical 24 percent overall...