politics
Poll: 42% of Democrats Believe Butler Trump Assassination Attempt Was Staged
A YouGov survey of 1,000 Americans conducted April 28 to May 4, 2026, shows significant portions of Democrats, independents and Republicans view the three attempts on President Trump as hoaxes. The findings come after Cole Allen's attempt at the White House Correspondents Association dinner in April 2026 pushed Trump past the record for surviving the most assassination attempts in U.S. history.
May 11, 10:47 AM·1m read3 sources
The GuardianAudio version
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A YouGov poll conducted from April 28 to May 4, 2026, surveying 1,000 Americans found that 42 percent of Democrats believe the assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump by Thomas Crooks in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024 was staged. The survey showed 34 percent of Democrats believe the April 2026 attempt by suspect Cole Allen at the White House Correspondents Association dinner was staged, while 26 percent believe the September 2024 attempt by Ryan Routh at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach was staged.
Nearly a quarter of Democrats believed all three attempts were hoaxes.
Among independents, 21 percent believe the Butler attempt was staged, 23 percent believe the WHCA dinner attempt was staged and 14 percent believe the golf course attempt was staged. Seven percent of Republicans believe the Butler attempt was staged, 13 percent believe the WHCA attempt was staged and 7 percent believe the Routh attempt was staged.
The Butler attempt occurred on July 13, 2024, when Thomas Crooks fired shots at Trump during a campaign rally. Trump was injured, one attendee was killed and two others were critically wounded. The FBI identified Crooks as the shooter and said it had recovered an AR-style rifle from the scene.
Cole Allen’s attempt took place at the White House Correspondents Association dinner in April 2026. Ryan Routh was identified as the suspect in the September 2024 golf course incident.
The poll did not ask respondents for reasons behind their beliefs, and no publicly released evidence has documented staging of any of the three incidents according to the sources. The original investigations by the FBI, Secret Service and local law enforcement remain the only official accounts referenced.
