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Quarter of Americans Think White House Dinner Shooting Staged

5/11/2026

35 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A shooter opened fire at the White House correspondents’ dinner in April, injuring several attendees.
A recent poll shows roughly one-quarter of Americans suspect the shooting was staged.
The NewsGuard survey finds about one-third of Democratic respondents believe the incident was staged, compared with roughly one-eighth of Republican respondents.
Respondents aged 18 to 29 are also more likely than older adults to think the shooting was staged.

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Story summary

A shooter opened fire at the White House correspondents’ dinner in April, injuring several attendees.
A recent poll shows roughly one-quarter of Americans suspect the shooting was staged.
The NewsGuard survey finds about one-third of Democratic respondents believe the incident was staged, compared with roughly one-eighth of Republican respondents.
Respondents aged 18 to 29 are also more likely than older adults to think the shooting was staged.