# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/101 "2026-04-27T20:47:21Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > From what I’ve heard (rumors to be fair), the security at this event was shitty. Not what you’d expect from an event the president is attending. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XO_dtDIuoew/maxresdefault.jpg "'I Remember The Secret Service Being Tougher' | Red") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO_dtDIuoew&t=18) ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/102 "2026-04-27T21:24:33Z")
I haven’t read all the recent replies, but what we learned after Butler, PA (assassination attempt) is that the Secret Service is charged with protecting _the people that they’re assigned to protect,_ and _not_ the venue. They are the coordinators – and presumably have the last word – with local, state, private, and any other LEOs/departments/firms, but they protect bodies – certain bodies as determined by **[their basic remit](https://www.secretservice.gov/protection/leaders)**. Which, in this case – at least with what we know so far – they did. The chatter I’m hearing on TV, from ‘experts,’ is that the whole protective/security ecosystem would be radically different if we designated events like this as National Special Security Events: > **[National Special Security Event](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Special_Security_Event)** > > A National Special Security Event (NSSE) is a classification of event which is deemed of national or international significance by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be a potential target for terrorism or other criminal activity. These events have included summits of world leaders, meetings of international organizations, presidential nominating conventions and presidential inaugurations. NSSE designation requires federal agencies to provide full cooperation and suppor... ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/103 "2026-04-27T21:51:20Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > The chatter I’m hearing on TV, from ‘experts,’ is that the whole protective/security ecosystem would be radically different if we designated events like this as National Special Security Events: Or if we stop electing Assholes who make people want to kill them. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/104 "2026-04-27T22:27:30Z")
How many assassination attempts on Obama were foiled? Don’t need to be an Asshole for some merkin to want to kill you; and have the means to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/105 "2026-04-27T22:41:40Z")
This would be an existential crisis. Cause if I heard it out of his mouth … shudder … I would be sure that _I_ was not _me._ 😱 ---
**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, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/106 "2026-04-27T23:18:49Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > How many assassination attempts on Obama were foiled? From what I can tell, zero. There were many _threats_, and _plots_, but no credible attempts. And it’s impossible to know if any of those would have ever turned into anything. The closest was this one: > **[2011 White House shooting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_White_House_shooting)** > > On November 11, 2011, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, an unemployed 21-year-old man, fired multiple shots at the White House using a semi-automatic rifle. At least seven bullets hit the second floor. Neither President Barack Obama nor First Lady Michelle Obama were home at the time; the president was not in Washington, D.C., having been on a trip abroad. However, the couple's youngest daughter, Sasha, and the first lady's mother, Marian Shields Robinson, were in the White House. No one was inj... That was someone who shot at the White House while the Obamas were gone; they weren’t even in DC. ---
**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, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/107 "2026-04-27T23:44:59Z")
Caught on camera is Jimmy Failla, a Fox News host, joking about how bad the security is at the event before the shooting occurs. > **[WATCH: Fox News Host Caught On Hot Mic Roasting Bad Security at WHCD Before...](https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/watch-fox-news-host-caught-on-hot-mic-roasting-bad-security-at-whcd-before-shooting/)** > > Jimmy Failla was caught on hot mic roasting lax security at the WHCD Saturday — before a gunman bolted past a security checkpoint. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/108 "2026-04-28T00:01:24Z")
Is that his real name, or is it a cheap mockery of Jimmy Fallon? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/109 "2026-04-28T00:04:52Z")
> **[Jimmy Failla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Failla)** > > James Failla (born December 17, 1976) is an American stand-up comedian, radio host, television personality, and author. He hosts the syndicated radio show Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla and the Fox News program Fox News Saturday Night. Failla is also known for his work as a cab driver turned comedian, with appearances on various television shows and a New York Times best-selling author. > Failla was born on December 17, 1976, in Levittown, New York, and grew up in a working-class family. He ... ---
**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 28, 2026, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/110 "2026-04-28T00:08:19Z")
According to his home town newspaper, it’s his real name. > **[Levittown native Jimmy Failla on hosting 'Fox News Saturday Night with Jimmy...](https://www.liherald.com/stories/levittown-native-jimmy-failla-on-hosting-fox-news-saturday-night-with-jimmy-failla,206117)** > > Levittown native Jimmy Failla has jumped around from driving cabs to working comedy clubs and now hosting his own show on cable television. His mom’s name is Marianne Failla. He was a stand-up comedian who tried out for _America’s Got Talent_ back in Season 8 and requested that they not air his audition, where he was buzzed for making racist jokes by a woman of color, but the 3 white judges still put him through. He was eliminated in the next round, however. He now hosts his own show on Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/111 "2026-04-28T00:12:14Z")
A classic conservative origin story if I ever heard one. ---
**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 28, 2026, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/112 "2026-04-28T01:02:03Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > Tell me something he said that is the objective truth. “Down the hall and to the left.” ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/113 "2026-04-28T03:41:23Z")
I won’t speak for anyone else, but I’ve never been a conspiracy theorist and have had nothing but disdain for that kind of nuttery. Yet, my very first reaction was to question the validity of the event. It was an involuntary reaction and came about because this entire administration are lying sacks of shit, lying for the king of lying sacks of shit. There’s more than enough here that is fishy so I don’t think one should be too hard on folks that entertain the idea that it’s a sham. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/114 "2026-04-28T13:58:39Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > “Down the hall and to the left.” It’s on the right. And they are out of TP. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/115 "2026-04-28T20:50:01Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I do appreciate how level-headed she is, and how she reports the facts without over-interpreting things. Although one time, in reference to something that Trump did she did let slip, _“This is bonkers!”_ No degree of rationality can stand _fully_ firm in the face of some Trump-Regime shenanigans… > [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > I won’t speak for anyone else, but I’ve never been a conspiracy theorist and have had nothing but disdain for that kind of nuttery. Yet, my very first reaction was to question the validity of the event. It was an involuntary reaction and came about because this entire administration are lying sacks of shit, lying for the king of lying sacks of shit. It’s reasonable to assume that the Regime will say whatever they calculate will support their continued power. These are not people known for ‘integrity’ or ‘fidelity to facts.’ There are varying degrees of dishonesty possible here. _ **It’s not necessary** _ for a shooter to be an actual paid agent of the Trump regime (the highest degree of False Flag/staging deception) for _some_ degree of deception to have occurred. I’ll quote from an earlier post I made in another subforum: > [@](#): > > The Trump Regime people know how well their guy’s ratings fare when he’s perceived as the _Noble Courageous Victim of Insane Lefty Demons_. He likes those higher ratings. Those higher ratings increase the chances that the regime will stay in power. > > Prior to January 20, 2025, the FBI no doubt had tabs on hundreds (at least) of well-armed hotheads, nation-wide. Even after the Regime’s notorious firings-of-the-competent, those records likely remain accessible to the Trump-worshipping successors to the competent people who left. > > Those records are gold for anyone wanting some ‘action’ to grab the public’s attention. There are plenty of people who don’t need to be manipulated into creating headlines; all they need is for the path to be smoothed for them, just a little here and a little there. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/116 "2026-04-29T02:04:39Z")
That makes sense, @Sherrerd. Do I think the whole thing was staged? Not really, but there’s just…something that doesn’t seem kosher. I don’t think any of us has a clue as to the extent of fuckery going on behind the scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/117 "2026-04-29T04:59:09Z")
I sort of doubt it was staged at all, _but_ if we found out it was staged anytime between now and 40 years from now and beyond I certainly wouldn’t be surprised. ---
**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 29, 2026, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/118 "2026-04-29T05:08:53Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > Not really, but there’s just…something that doesn’t seem kosher. I don’t think any of us has a clue as to the extent of fuckery going on behind the scenes. I think that’s how a lot of people feel about it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/119 "2026-04-29T05:10:14Z")
I don’t think it was staged, but in a long game way it was provoked, which is what bullies do that help make them look like the innocent victim. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570/120 "2026-04-29T07:23:28Z")
I read an op-ed thing on FB that, whilst it wasn’t staged _as such_ the event wasn’t ‘prevented’. Apparently the family of the shooter had alerted their local LEO about his state of mind, his guns, his intentions via the ‘manifesto’ but still the Hilton Hotel and/or the President’s minders didn’t take it at all seriously. Or they DID take it seriously, and used the shooting as yet another distraction for the: War Epstein files. ICE. Other shit happening. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-shooting-was-staged-conspiracy-theorists/1029570.md?page=7)