Joe Rogan says Americans have lost touch with reality after poll finds huge numbers believe Trump shooting was staged
Texas – Questions surrounding political violence and conspiracy theories have continued to spread across the country, especially after recent security scares tied to President Donald Trump. The debate intensified after a violent breach at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington shocked officials and sparked fierce political arguments from Texas lawmakers and national figures alike. During the incident, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen allegedly broke through a security perimeter near the Washington Hilton while armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives, leading to chaos as Secret Service agents rushed top officials to safety.
Federal authorities later charged Allen with attempted assassination of the president and several weapons-related crimes after a Secret Service agent was shot in the chest during the confrontation. The agent survived because of a bulletproof vest. In the aftermath, controversy exploded online after Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas faced criticism over comments suggesting uncertainty about whether repeated attempts on Trump’s life were real. Her remarks added fuel to an already heated national conversation about conspiracy thinking, misinformation, and political distrust.
That growing atmosphere of suspicion became the focus of a lengthy discussion on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” where Joe Rogan blamed social media culture — especially TikTok — for what he described as a complete breakdown in common sense among large parts of the public.
“This is TikTok. It’s f—ing ruined,” Rogan said while reacting to polling data showing many Americans either believe at least one assassination attempt against Trump was staged or remain uncertain about what actually happened. “Rotting their f—ing brains out from inside their heads.”
Rogan argued that endless social media content has pushed people into believing increasingly unrealistic theories, especially younger audiences who spend hours consuming online clips and conspiracy-heavy content. “Meanwhile, you go on Chinese TikTok, it’s all like traditional dance and martial arts, science projects,” Rogan said. “It shuts down for kids after 10 p.m.”
His guest, former UFC fighter and comedian Brendan Schaub, immediately agreed with Rogan’s frustration after hearing the polling numbers. “And that’s the problem,” Schaub responded.
Poll numbers spark new debate
The discussion centered around survey findings reported by The Washington Post and NewsGuard, which showed a surprisingly high number of Americans questioning whether some of the attacks connected to Trump were authentic.
According to the report, “Roughly 1 in 3 Democratic respondents said they believed the [White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting] event was staged, compared with about 1 in 8 Republicans, according to a survey published Monday by NewsGuard, a company that rates the reliability of online news outlets. Respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 were also more likely than older people to think the incident was staged, according to the report.”
The numbers appeared to genuinely stun Rogan, who spent several minutes arguing that many conspiracy theories collapse under even basic scrutiny. Much of the conversation focused on the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire during a Trump rally.
Rogan insisted people claiming the Butler shooting was staged clearly do not understand firearms or how dangerous the situation truly was. “The people that thought that the Butler, Pennsylvania one was staged don’t know anything about guns,” Rogan said. “I don’t know anybody who knows anything about guns that thinks that the president would let some guy nick his ear with a bullet.”
He also pointed to the death of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed while attending the rally after being struck by gunfire intended for Trump. “That guy got shot by a bullet that was intended for Trump,” Rogan said. “And then there’s a photo of a bullet whizzing by his face. Anybody that thinks that that staged is out of their f—ing mind.”
The Washington Post report also revealed more division between political groups over the Butler attack itself. “Regarding the Butler assassination attempt, 24 percent of respondents said they believed it was staged. Forty-two percent of Democratic respondents said they thought the shooting was staged, compared with 7 percent of Republicans.”
Questions, suspicion, and online culture
Rogan and Schaub later shifted to another attempted attack linked to the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, where Schaub questioned why anyone would believe people would intentionally destroy their own lives to participate in a fake operation. “They think that’s fake,” Schaub said. “It’s like, hold on. So, you think this guy, who’s a teacher, educated, clearly kind of had his s— together, threw away his life?”
The conversation eventually returned to Thomas Matthew Crooks and the strange details that surfaced after investigators searched his home following the Butler shooting. Rogan admitted that while he rejects theories claiming the attack itself was staged, he still believes parts of the case remain unusual. “That one was weird as f—,” Rogan said. “That guy’s house was professionally scrubbed. He didn’t even have silverware there. He had no online activity. He had no social media.”
The broader debate now stretches far beyond one podcast episode or one poll. It reflects how deeply political distrust and internet culture have reshaped public reaction to major events. Every new incident immediately becomes a battleground between official explanations, viral speculation, and partisan suspicion.
For Rogan, the bigger concern is not simply whether conspiracy theories exist, but how quickly large numbers of people now accept them as possible reality. And as more political violence incidents dominate headlines, the divide between skepticism and outright disbelief appears to be growing even wider.
