Joe Rogan Shocked by Number of Americans Who Believe Trump Assassination Attempt Was 'Staged': 'Wow'

Joe Rogan expressed profound shock on his podcast after reviewing a recent NewsGuard/YouGov poll revealing that 54 percent of Americans believe at least one of the three assassination attempts against President Donald Trump was staged or are unsure of their authenticity.

Rogan, who has previously discussed security failures surrounding the events, completely rejected the "staged" and "hoax" narratives.

He emphasized that the physical reality and technical difficulty of the firearms involved make a hoax scenario impossible.

During the Wednesday, May 13, episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," Rogan and guest, former UFC fighter and podcaster Brendan Schaub, reacted to the broad public skepticism documented in the NewsGuard poll.

In that poll, 54 percent of Americans believe the attempts were either staged or are uncertain about their authenticity.

Only 38 percent of Americans believe all three assassination attempts — the July 2024 Butler rally shooting, the September 2024 golf club incident, and the April 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting — were fully authentic.

“Nearly one third of Americans, 30 percent, believe — 30 percent! — at least one of the attempts on the president’s life over the last two years was staged,” Rogan read. “Wooooow.”

“For each attempted assassination, a majority of Americans said either that it was staged or that they were not sure. 54 percent said they either thought it was staged or were not sure,” Rogan read.

“And that’s the problem,” Schaub said.

Rogan vigorously disputed the narrative that the July 2024 shooting in Butler, Penn., was orchestrated to build political sympathy.

Rogan noted that "anybody who says that doesn’t know anything about guns." He argued that no shooter on earth could reliably "nick an ear at 140 yards" as a stunt.

The reality of the shooter missing other targets, killing rally attendee Corey Comperatore, and critically injuring others eliminates the possibility of a coordinated setup, he said.

Rogan pointed out that Trump only survived because he happened to turn his head at the exact microsecond a bullet passed by.

Rogan and Schaub directly blamed algorithmic echo chambers and social media apps like TikTok for warping public reality.

Rogan claimed the platform is "rotting people's brains out from inside their heads" by pushing unverified conspiracy content.

“Only 38 percent of Americans believe that all three assassination attempts were authentic.’ This is TikTok. It’s f----- ruining people’s brains, rotting their f------ brains out from inside their heads,” Rogan said, laughing. “Meanwhile, you go on Chinese TikTok. It’s all like traditional dance and martial arts and science projects.”

Schaub then quipped, “Americans, have fun. Go rot your brains.”