Staff Reports
The attempted assassination of President-elect Donald Trump in July 2024 exposed glaring failures in America’s security apparatus and the media’s rush to politicize tragedy. Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, perched on a rooftop just 150 yards from the rally stage in Butler, firing shots that grazed Trump’s ear and killed one innocent bystander while critically wounding two others. Despite Secret Service lapses—like unsecured vantage points and ignored warnings from local law enforcement—Crooks managed to slip through cracks that should never have existed, raising urgent questions about who dropped the ball in protecting a former president and future leader.
Crooks’ profile defies easy categorization, with a registered Republican voter status undercut by a $15 donation to a progressive PAC at age 17 and searches for both Trump and Biden rally details on his phone. No manifesto surfaced, no accomplices identified, fueling suspicions that deeper influences—from online echo chambers to potential foreign actors—remain unexplored amid the FBI’s ongoing probe. Law enforcement’s tight-lipped updates frustrate a public demanding answers, especially when initial reports downplayed the shooter’s Democratic leanings and media outlets prematurely blamed “MAGA extremism” before facts emerged.
This attack underscores how years of anti-Trump rhetoric from Democrats, late-night hosts, and corporate media have normalized violence against conservatives, creating a toxic brew where lone wolves feel emboldened. Trump’s resilience—defiantly raising his fist amid gunfire, shouting “Fight!”—embodied American grit, turning a near-miss into a rallying cry that propelled his landslide victory. Yet the incident reveals institutional rot: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation couldn’t erase the reality of perimeter breaches and delayed responses that endangered patriots gathered to support their candidate.
Pundits and politicians must confront the truth—the left’s obsession with portraying Trump as a threat to democracy sows real-world division, while Big Tech and schools radicalize youth with one-sided indoctrination. Crooks’ googling of “how far was Oswald from Kennedy” hints at a copycat mindset fed by cultural decay, not the balanced discourse elites preach. Strengthening mental health screening, securing rallies with military precision, and holding accountable those who stoke hatred offer paths forward, but only if leaders prioritize unity over smears.
As investigations drag on, Trump’s survival stands as divine providence and a testament to his unbreakable spirit, reminding America why millions reject the establishment’s fearmongering. Rebuilding trust demands transparency from feds, defunding weaponized agencies, and rejecting the identity politics that breed assassins. This close call isn’t just a footnote—it’s a wake-up to safeguard leaders who fight for the forgotten, ensuring no shooter ever gets that clear line of sight again.
