20-Year-Old Man Attempts to Assassinate Donald Trump at Pennsylvania Rally: Motives and Investigation

Butler, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania United States of America
20-year-old man named Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during his Pennsylvania rally on July 13, 2024.
Crooks had shown interest in both Trump and Joe Biden before the attack, searching for their public appearances and specific dates online.
FBI officials are investigating Crooks' digital and physical trail to understand his motives for the assassination attempt.
He posted a message on a gaming platform Steam that read “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.” days before the shooting incident.
One person was killed and several others were injured in the shooting incident.
The Secret Service is under scrutiny for its handling of security at the rally. Reports suggest that Crooks managed to bypass security measures and climb onto the roof with an AR-style weapon.
20-Year-Old Man Attempts to Assassinate Donald Trump at Pennsylvania Rally: Motives and Investigation

Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man, attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during his Pennsylvania rally on July 13, 2024. The shooting incident left one person dead and several others injured. According to various sources, Crooks had shown interest in both Trump and Joe Biden before the attack. He searched for their public appearances and specific dates of their events online.

Crooks also visited the rally location twice before the shooting incident, but no clear motive for his visits has been established yet.

In addition to his searches related to Trump and Biden, Crooks posted a message on a gaming platform Steam that read, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.” This post was made days before the shooting incident.

FBI officials have been investigating Crooks' digital and physical trail to understand his motives for the assassination attempt. They have also been tracing down contacts from his secondary cell phone that had only 27 contacts. The primary cell phone, which was recovered from the scene, contained searches related to Trump, Biden, and their public appearances.

The Secret Service is under scrutiny for its handling of security at the rally. Reports suggest that Crooks managed to bypass security measures and climb onto the roof with an AR-style weapon. The investigation into the shooting incident is ongoing.


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Confidence

85%

Doubts
  • It is unclear if Crooks had any contacts or associates who may have influenced his decision to attempt the assassination.
  • The motive for Crooks' visits to the rally location before the shooting incident is not clear.

Sources

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Trump Gunman’s Search History Shines New Light on Shooting

The Daily Beast Full Legal Name: IACI (NASDAQ: IACI) About Us URL:➆https://www.thedailybeast.com/company/about-us➉ Brett Bachman Thursday, 18 July 2024 02:28
  • Unique Points
    • Thomas Matthew Crooks searched for Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and Christopher Wray in the days before the shooting.
    • Crooks also searched for public appearances scheduled for both Trump and Biden.
    • He zeroed in on Trump’s Pennsylvania speech and searched for more details.
    • Explosives were found in Crooks’ car along with a remote detonator.
  • Accuracy
    • Thomas Matthew Crooks searched for Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the days before the shooting.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Would-be assassin posted on gaming site that ‘July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,’ source says

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Sean Lyngaas Thursday, 18 July 2024 12:08
  • Unique Points
    • A source told CNN that Thomas Matthew Crooks wrote on Steam, ‘July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds’,
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

84%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Live updates: Trump rally shooting investigation continues after assassination attempt

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Dan Berman, Thursday, 18 July 2024 12:19
  • Unique Points
    • Thomas Matthew Crooks searched for 'July 13 will be my premiere' on gaming platform Steam before shooting at Trump rally
    • Crooks visited the Trump rally location twice before the assassination attempt but facts about his motive for doing so are not included in other articles
  • Accuracy
    • Thomas Matthew Crooks visited the Trump rally location twice before the attack.
    • Thomas Matthew Crooks wrote on a gaming platform that 'July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.'
    • Investigators have yet to uncover Crooks' motive for the assassination attempt.
  • Deception (50%)
    The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the authors' position about the Secret Service's handling of security at Trump rally. The authors quote sources stating that investigators have yet to uncover the attacker's motive and that he visited the rally site twice, conducted searches online about major depression disorder, and had images of both Trump and Biden on his cell phone. However, they do not report any information that contradicts their narrative or provides context about the investigation as a whole. Additionally, there is emotional manipulation through phrases like 'assassination attempt' and 'attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump'.
    • The would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks who shot former President Donald Trump on Saturday wrote on the popular gaming platform Steam, ‘July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds’, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
    • South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace joined calls for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign from her post amid questions about security failures that led to Saturday’s assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
  • Fallacies (90%)
    The article contains several informal fallacies and a potential appeal to authority. The authors use inflammatory language when describing the attempted assassination as an 'assassination attempt' and 'attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump'. They also use the term 'mounting criticism' when discussing the Secret Service's handling of security at the rally, implying that there is a significant issue with their security. Additionally, they quote Rep. Nancy Mace stating that Cheatle should resign from her post and expect questions related to hiring practices, which could be seen as an appeal to authority if it is implied that these issues are directly related to the security failure at the rally.
    • ]The latest on the Trump assassination attempt investigation[
    • Secret Service 'solely responsible' for security at Trump rally site
    • Five days after the attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally, investigators have yet to uncover the attacker's motive.
    • A source familiar with the matter told CNN.
    • South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace joined calls for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign from her post amid questions about security failures that led to Saturday’s assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

94%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Trump's attempted assassin posted message before shooting: 'July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds'

Fox News Media Lawrence Richard, Thursday, 18 July 2024 12:58
  • Unique Points
    • Thomas Matthew Crooks wrote 'July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds' on gaming platform Steam before shooting at Trump's rally
    • Suspect had two cell phones - primary one recovered from scene and secondary one with only 27 contacts being traced by FBI
  • Accuracy
    • Crooks searched for Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the days before the shooting.
    • Crooks visited the Trump rally location twice before the assassination attempt
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

94%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Rally Shooter’s Phone Had Searches for Trump and Biden, FBI Officials Say

The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Glenn Thrush, Wednesday, 17 July 2024 21:43
  • Unique Points
    • He once expressed a general disdain for politicians during a middle school political debate.
  • Accuracy
    • Thomas Matthew Crooks searched for Donald Trump and Joe Biden on his phone.
    • Crooks also looked up dates of Trump's appearances and the Democratic National Convention.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication