Many Americans think Trump assassination attempts were fake, survey finds

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🗞️ Driving the news: A new survey found that nearly one in four Americans believe the April shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner involving Donald Trump was staged, highlighting the growing normalization of conspiracy thinking across U.S. politics

🔭 The context: The poll, conducted by NewsGuard and YouGov, showed strong partisan and generational divides
• Roughly one-third of Democrats and younger respondents were more likely to believe the incident was fake, despite federal indictments against the alleged gunman and no evidence supporting conspiracy claims
• Similar skepticism extended to earlier assassination attempts against Trump in 2024

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The erosion of trust in institutions, media and verified information has implications far beyond politics
• Experts warn that widespread conspiratorial thinking weakens societies’ ability to respond collectively to major global challenges such as climate change, public health crises and democratic governance

⏭️ What’s next: Researchers expect misinformation and AI-amplified conspiracy narratives to remain a growing force in political discourse, especially as social media increasingly rewards emotionally charged and distrust-driven content

💬 One quote: “Conspiracy theorizing has infected our body politic now to the point where it has become a gut reflex.” — Jared Holt, Open Measures

📈 One stat: 24% of Americans surveyed said they believed the April correspondents’ dinner shooting was staged

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