Overview
- The NewsGuard/YouGov survey released Monday found 24% of U.S. adults believe the April 25 shooting outside the Washington Hilton was staged, 45% called it legitimate, and 32% were unsure.
- Skepticism split along party and age lines, with about 34% of Democrats and 13% of Republicans saying the incident was staged, and younger adults were more likely than older respondents to doubt it.
- Across the three Trump assassination attempts since 2024, only 38% of respondents said all were authentic, while a majority either believed at least one was staged or said they were not sure.
- The White House dismissed the claims as baseless and Sen. John Fetterman, who said he was in the room, told doubters it was not staged, as “staged” trended on X despite no supporting evidence.
- Cole Tomas Allen was indicted on four federal counts, including attempting to assassinate the president, after the April 25 attack and he pleaded not guilty Monday, with investigators continuing to review the case.