They Think Trump’s Shooting Was Staged

Daily Update - May 18, 2026

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Episode summary:

In this daily update, we walk through a new poll showing that nearly one in five Democrats now believe all three assassination attempts on President Trump were staged, and what that says about the Left’s mindset. We unpack how Trump Derangement Syndrome has hijacked the Democrat Party to the point where facts, basic logic, and even the death of Corey Comperatore no longer seem to matter. We explain why Republicans need to stop chasing voters who think this way and instead get serious about turning out our own side up and down the ballot. Finally, we talk about why sitting out races, nitpicking imperfect GOP candidates, or throwing protest votes to third parties only helps keep an out‑of‑touch Democrat Party in power.

What you’ll learn / Key moments

00:01 – The poll showing nearly one in five Democrats think all three Trump assassination attempts were staged.
00:33 – How this belief requires ignoring basic facts about the shooter and the death of Corey Comperatore.
01:06 – Why Trump Derangement Syndrome has taken over the Democrat Party and made persuasion pointless.
01:51 – How Republican “purity tests,” blank ballots, and third‑party protest votes keep Democrats in power.
02:23 – The closing warning: only consistent Republican voting can keep an out‑of‑touch Democrat Party out of office.

What you can do

If you are tired of a political climate where people are more willing to believe that Trump staged his own assassination attempts than admit the Left has gone too far, this is the moment to act. Start local: know your ballot, support the best viable Republican in every race, and stop handing wins to Democrats by staying home, leaving blanks, or throwing protest votes to third parties. Talk with your friends, family, and church groups about what is at stake, and help them understand that elections are about choosing a direction for the country, not finding a perfect candidate.

Most importantly, let us commit together to voting Republican from the courthouse to the White House so that an out‑of‑touch, ideologically captured Democrat Party is kept far away from power.

Incredibly, almost one in five Democrats believe that all three assassination attempts on Donald Trump were staged.

This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Monday, May 18, 2026.

WECT and Newsguard are reporting that a recent poll of 1000 Americans showed that across party lines 12 percent believe that all three of the attempts on President Trump’s life were staged. If we bring it down to just Democrats – that number jumps to 21 percent.

In other words, a sizeable portion of Democrat voters believe that a 20 year old man from Butler, PA who has no military training – including sniper training – was good enough to hit Mr. Trump’s ear from 400 – 500 feet away in an uncontrolled, outside environment without causing any other bodily harm. They also believe that the Trump campaign was so desperate to get elected that they were willing to sacrifice civilians for the cause – including 50 year old Corey Comperatore who died shielding his family.

This is one of many reasons why Republicans need to stop trying to convince Democrats and Left-Leaning Independents to vote for them – and why they certainly should never pander to them in legislation. The Democrat Party has been hijacked by Trump Derangement Syndrome – and no amount of facts or reason will convince them to think anything else than Orange Man Bad Mean Tweets. So we should not waste any breath – and certainly not waste any money – trying to bring them over to the conservative side of the house. They won’t. It should not surprise anyone – as these are they same voters who overwhelmingly support DEI, believe men can be women, thought Kamela Harris could be president and who think Roy Cooper would make a good Senator.

What Republican voters need to do is focus on is being Republican. Too many times we have heard complaints about candidates being RINOs – a term we loathe – or state and local parties not doing enough. We say we will leave a particular field blank on the ballot because a candidate does not check every box. Or worse yet, we go and support third-party candidates who do not have a snowball’s chance in the hotplace of winning, but get our protest vote. All of these might soothe our inward purist, but all they do is get Democrats elected.

The Democrat party is beyond redemption. Only by voting for Republicans can we make sure this immoral and out-of-touch party stays out of power as well.

For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample. Thanks for listening.

Reuel Sample is the Editor-in-Chief of The Wilmington Standard. A graduate of Grove City College and Princeton Theological Seminary, he has served as both a Presbyterian Pastor and a Navy Chaplain. He is the product of a classical liberal arts education combined with real world experience in politics and business and conservative Christian worldview firmly rooted in the Reformed tradition. He is the host of several podcasts including the NHC GOP Podcast, the Pastor's Voice, and co-hosts the Nikki and Reuel Podcast Experience. An avid sailor, he has sailed around the world as a youth and to the Azores as a teen as well as extensive trips up and down the east coast of the United States. He is honored to be married to his wife Pam and makes his home in Wilmington, NC.