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Trump assassination attempt: 5 major questions still unanswered in 2025
Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at Donald Trump during a 2024 rally in Pennsylvania.
Donald Trump was shot during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, while he was running for president last year. Right after a bullet grazed his ear, he threw his fist in the air and yelled, 'Fight! Fight! Fight!' Meanwhile, the crowd rallied behind him. Trump later said that God had saved his life, and he went on to win the election in November, according to a Newsweek report.
The shooter was 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. People at the rally noticed him acting weird outside and told security, although no one stopped him before he climbed onto a roof and started shooting. Crooks killed one person in the crowd and hurt two others; however, Secret Service agents shot and killed him.
The attack exposed serious security problems. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, and a review panel said the agency needed “fundamental reform.” But a year later, many questions about Crooks still remain unanswered.
Why did he do it?
The FBI checked Crooks’ phone, computer, house, and car. But they still don’t know why he opened fire.
He didn’t leave any kind of letter or statement, and his online activity was low. He had no criminal history, and he was doing well in school. The New York Times said he had a perfect SAT score and was studying engineering.
Crooks’ political views weren’t clear either. He signed up as a Republican when he turned 18, but he had once donated $15 to a Democrat-backed group. In the month before the shooting, he searched online a lot about Trump and Joe Biden.
The Times got records showing he signed up for the Trump rally a week before the shooting and had searched “How far was Oswald from Kennedy?”
Was he working with someone?
The FBI and Secret Service both said Crooks acted alone. Still, there are theories that someone else was involved.
Private investigator Doug Hagmann told the New York Post in February that his team found devices linked to Crooks—ones that didn’t belong to him—at his house, school, and other places.
“We don’t think he acted alone,” Hagmann said. “This took a lot of coordination. In my view, Crooks was handled by more than one individual and he was used for this.”
Was he planning more?
There’s some evidence Crooks had bigger plans. The Times said police found a basic homemade bomb in his room. They also found bomb-making stuff at his house and explosive devices in his car.
CBS News reported Crooks tried to buy more than two gallons of nitromethane, which is a chemical used in explosives.
Why was he cremated so fast?
The FBI has been slammed for how quickly they released Crooks’ body.
Rep. Clay Higgins from Louisiana said letting the family cremate the body just 10 days after the shooting could be seen as “obstruction to any following investigative effort.”
The FBI pushed back, saying that was “inaccurate and unfounded.” They said they worked with the coroner and local police before handing over the body.
“Nothing was rushed and everything was documented as part of the investigation,” the FBI said.
What about his family?
Crooks’ parents haven’t talked to the media. They’ve stayed quiet. Not much is known about his home life or background.
