FBI concludes would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks acted alone

Published November 21, 2025 6:55pm ET



The FBI has concluded that Thomas Matthew Crooks acted alone in his 2024 attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The 20-year-old would-be assassin struck Trump’s ear with a bullet during a July 2024 campaign rally, missing a fatal shot at the soon-to-be 47th president and instead killing rally attendee Corey Comperatore. It was the first assassination attempt on a former or current president since the 1981 attempt on Ronald Reagan’s life, and set off a firestorm of questions from the public, politicos, and lawmakers.

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