# I pit "the shooting was staged" conspiracy theorists **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [April 26, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570 "2026-04-26T15:58:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/61 "2026-04-27T14:01:41Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > You mean, the use of a common idiom used metaphorically less than a day before the same common phrase could be used literally? Gotta admit, I can’t recall ever hearing “shots will be fired” used metaphorically before. Come to think of it, I’m hard-pressed to think of a situation where it’s been used literally. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/62 "2026-04-27T14:11:37Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Gotta admit, I can’t recall ever hearing “shots will be fired” used metaphorically before. I have, though more often I have heard “shots fired” metaphorically when someone does a verbal take down of someone else. Just like I have heard “that’s a sick burn” in the same type of context. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/63 "2026-04-27T14:32:12Z")
> [@icon](#): > > I have, though more often I have heard “shots fired” metaphorically when someone does a verbal take down of someone else Right. Most often used as description of what has happened, not as prediction. More customary to say “expect fireworks” in my experience. In any case considering the circumstance it IS awkward in the extreme to say “shots will be fired” at an event featuring someone who _has_ been shot at before. Then again what do we expect of this crew. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/64 "2026-04-27T14:47:44Z")
I donno one way or another. I doubt it was staged though. But I think Trump was worried about his… speech/presentation/jokes. Any good speaker would eat him alive. And the jokes about Trump write themselves. Anyway, I bet he’s relieved that it got canceled. Does that mean it was staged? I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/65 "2026-04-27T14:48:08Z")
The only thing that might have been staged is the numerous social media comments that appeared after the incident, saying it proves that Trump needs his Big Beautiful Ballroom for protection - even before Trump and his acting AG stooge made statements pushing for it. But ya know, if Lincoln had had a huge gold-encrusted ballroom, he wouldn’t have needed to go to Ford’s Theater for entertainment and wouldn’t have been assassinated, amirite? 🤪 Aside: pundits at the Wall Street Journal are gushing about how Trump appears at his majestic Presidential best when evil forces are gunning for him. 🤮 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/66 "2026-04-27T14:54:49Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > But I think Trump was worried about his… speech/presentation/jokes. Any good speaker would eat him alive. And the jokes about Trump write themselves. Trump is arrogant to the point of hubris, and I’m sure he was confident that he would charm the room. He has handlers that follow him to reassure him of such things. I also wonder if he worked things out ahead of time to ensure that things would be tame, maybe even agreeing ahead of time about certain issues that wouldn’t be brought up. I could see such an arrangement to entice him to finally show up to one of these. (Whether everyone would abide by an agreement like that is another story.) I don’t think he was relieved, I think he was frustrated that somebody stole his chance to be the center of attention. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/67 "2026-04-27T14:56:24Z")
Trump saïd it was about him: all the evidence anyone with half a brain needs to know the opposite is true. The man lies involuntarily. He is literally incapable of uttering something true. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/68 "2026-04-27T14:58:17Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > He is literally incapable of uttering something true. While he lies frequently and compulsively, the idea that he literally can never say a single true thing, like some creature from folklore, is of course an exaggeration. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/69 "2026-04-27T15:05:13Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Trump is arrogant to the point of hubris, and I’m sure he was confident that he would charm the room Yeah, that’s true. But I wonder it there was a seed of doubt. There _might_ be someone in his administration that was a bit concerned. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/70 "2026-04-27T15:05:18Z")
I would beg to differ. Tell me something he said that is the objective truth. One whole sentence where everthing is true. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/71 "2026-04-27T15:17:48Z")
> [@icon](#): > > I have, though more often I have heard “shots fired” metaphorically when someone does a verbal take down of someone else. Cf. “pistols at dawn,” “guns a-blazing”… ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/72 "2026-04-27T15:26:18Z")
Trump doesn’t lie as in “never tells the truth.” He lies as in “the truth is irrelevant.” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/73 "2026-04-27T15:35:03Z")
Exactly. All the jokes about “I’d look outside if he told me the sun rises in the east” or whatever are almost as stupid as people who uncritically believe him. If you think everything he says is untrue, you’re putting just as much weight behind his words as if you think everything he says is true. That’s not how he works. He’s not the guard in the logic puzzle who always lies. He’s the asshole in the White House who always says the thing that he thinks is best for himself. Whether that’s a truth or a lie is completely irrelevant. The idea that this involves Crisis Actors or whatever is stupidity worthy of Alex Jones, and if you’re buying into it you should be ashamed of yourself. Sandy Hook wasn’t a hoax, and neither is this. It is trivially true that a lot of Americans want Trump gone, and it’s trivially true that a lot of Americans aren’t pacifists, and in a country of 340 million plus, it’s trivially true that a few folks are going to take their shot. Acting like it’s a hoax is complete denialism. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/74 "2026-04-27T15:37:13Z")
I’m fine with the jokes. It’s just exaggeration to make a point. I agree with the rest of your post though. ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/75 "2026-04-27T15:38:58Z")
That only applies when the only thing you have to go on is what he said. If he claims it is Monday and then I check my calendar and it is indeed Monday → by your logic I should still assume it’s NOT Monday just because he said so. You don’t need to accept anything he has to say in this matter to come to the obvious conclusion that this wasn’t staged. That’s not gullibility, it’s refusing to let bias blind you to reality. People have made attempts on his life. In all probability, being who he is, people will continue to make attempts on his life for the remainder of this administration (if not longer). Because he’s an asshole and is directly fucking with numerous people’s lives in a country with a history of political violence and easy access to weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/76 "2026-04-27T15:39:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m fine with the jokes. It’s just exaggeration to make a point. Yeah–I probably should’ve used @The_Librarian’s post as an example: > [@The\_Librarian](#): > > Trump saïd it was about him: all the evidence anyone with half a brain needs to know the opposite is true. > > The man lies involuntarily. He is literally incapable of uttering something true. That doesn’t read as a joke to me, especially given the follow-up. My bad if I’m misreading it. In any case, I think the jokes hide a truth: a lot of folks are inclined to think that the opposite of what Trump says is the truth, which again gives truth-value to his words that they don’t merit. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/77 "2026-04-27T15:40:51Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m fine with the jokes. It’s just exaggeration to make a point. Like when people say “Every word he says is a lie, including ‘a’ and ‘the.’” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/78 "2026-04-27T15:43:55Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > The reason why I wouldn’t discount this as a conspiracy theory is because Trump is 1) a wannabe dictator; 2) a pathological liar. It wouldn’t surprise me if it _was_ staged. > > That said, we would need an explanation for who the alleged shooter is and, if he’s the actual shooter, how they got him to do it; and if he is not the one who did it, who did. Yeah, this is where it kind of falls down, really. I mean, it’s probably not hard to find an angry idiot on the internet and convince them to take it to the next level if you have the time and resources to do so, but then we’re back to the “competence” question. Otherwise, we have: - a court ruling telling Trump that only below-ground work is allowed on his proposed ballroom for “national security reasons”. - Trump deciding suddenly to attend the WHCA dinner despite not attending any of the previous ones while in office. - Trump and his cohort appearing entirely relaxed and smiling during and after the shooting - The immediate rush of messages from the entire GOP (and John Fetterman) on the talking point about how this proves that the full ballroom is needed for security reasons. Was it a deliberate setup? Eh, who knows. What’s sad is that it isn’t remotely implausible, especially considering his magically-healing ear from the earlier assassination attempt. There’s certainly a clear motive for doing it. And “It wasn’t a hoax because lots of people hate Trump” isn’t a rebuttal of it. Does it matter? Eh, not really. In the face of everything else, I’m not going to take any further steps up this hill, let alone die on it. Whether it was planned by the Trump administration or just a loony rando, the outcome is the same (even for the loony rando). Trump and his administration have committed far worse crimes to worry about. > [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > No, Maga is going to blame this on gay, trans, socialist, Satan worshiping, atheist, Democrat, followers of Soros (so Jews). Mix and match at your pleasure. Thus far I’ve seen the blame aimed at Reddit, Bluesky, and “Them”. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/79 "2026-04-27T15:49:42Z")
To answer the concern in the OP - yes, mass hysteria is taking hold. Social media is poison. It’s responsible for society abandoning objective fact. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/80 "2026-04-27T16:06:48Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > Tell me something he said that is the objective truth. > > One whole sentence where everthing is true. How about this? > **[Trump makes major admission amid growing health concerns: 'If I do trip or...](https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/trump-makes-major-admission-amid-growing-health-concerns-if-i-do-trip-or-fall-101776880694726.html)** > > Amid health concerns, Trump acknowledges his cautiousness on stairs, mocking Biden for his perceived struggles. > While speaking up for himself, Trump said, “I have to be careful because if I do trip or fall, it’s got to be the biggest.” > “That’s why when I get out of those planes, I walk nice and slowly,” He stated. Of course, as per his usual, he said the truth in the middle of lying; claiming that the country was a laughing stock and was “failing” because of Biden, and that he came in and saved the country and its reputation. So even when he’s telling the truth, it’s during a bunch of lying. But there is truth in between the lies. I also believe he was telling the truth here: > **[Donald Trump Just Admitted He Likes To "Hang Around With Losers," And The...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/donald-trumps-bizarre-self-admission-200716419.html)** > > "You can't make this sh\*t up." It’s true that he lies a lot. He lies so often, that when he says something true, it can be newsworthy. That’s pretty remarkable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570.md?page=5)