Thomas Crooks, the suspected gunman who shot President Trump, posted an ominous comment on Steam, a gaming platform that offers assassination games, which seemed to foreshadow an attack on the former president.
“July 13th is my premiere, stay tuned to see how it goes,” Crooks, 20, wrote in a post earlier this month.
The horrifying details were revealed to senators during an all-party briefing late Wednesday.
Investigators also said they found internet searches on his laptop related to President Trump, President Biden, the Democratic National Convention and the July 13 Trump rally.
Trump shooter’s Discord participation suggests Thomas Crooks prefers anonymity, experts say
The Trump shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, used the gaming platform Steam, which features a presidential assassination game called “Mr. President,” though there is no evidence that Crooks played the game. (AFP/Steam)
The Steam platform offers more than 100,000 games, including the assassination game “Mr. President!”, but there is no evidence that Crooks played the game.
The game’s description says that the game’s protagonist, Dick “Rock Hard” Johnson – the best bodyguard money can buy – is sworn to protect “the most hated presidential candidate of all time, Ronald Lamp.”
“It was fame achieved through something incredibly notorious. He saw his own life as insignificant, but he was trying to appear and feel bigger than that.”
“The liberal media rigged the election, tarnished his stellar public image, and now they’re trying to take his life. It takes a variety of verbs — leap, flip, hurl, tumble — to get between Mr. Lamp and certain death,” the summary continues.
In the game, Johnson must defend against over 50 “difficult” assassination attempts while pursuing Lamp around the world.
Trump shooter visited Home Depot before assassination attempt: Report
In the game “Mr. President!”, the player takes on the role of a bodyguard and must save President Ronald Lamp from dozens of assassination attempts. (vapor)
Jim Clemente, a former FBI agent and behavioral analysis expert, told Fox News Digital that Crooks was not politically motivated.
“It was fame for doing something outrageous and notorious,” the expert said. “He saw his own life as insignificant, but he was trying to make himself look and feel bigger than that.”
FBI agents appear to have reached a similar conclusion: A Senate report released Wednesday revealed that the bureau found no evidence of a specific ideology and that interviewees did not report discussing politics with Crooks.
He had two cell phones, a primary one recovered at the scene and a secondary one recovered from his home. The primary phone only had 27 contacts, and the FBI is currently questioning each of them.
Security experts criticize Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s ‘sloping roof’ excuse
Former President Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents after being shot at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Shortly after Crooks opened fire at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Steam users began pointing out on forums that the “Mr. President” game was suddenly displaying similarities to the real world.
“It’s too realistic for my liking,” wrote one gamer. “The predictable events are too big,” wrote another.
“LOL, so yeah, it really happened,” another person chimed in. One player expressed surprise that the game hadn’t been removed from the platform five days after the assassination attempt.
A spokesperson for Steam’s parent company, Valve, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
LIVE UPDATES: Secret Service director refuses to resign as FBI investigates Trump rally shooter
Users on the discussion board commented that the game “Mr. President!” mimics the real-life assassination attempt on former President Trump. (vapor)
Authorities said the criminals had very limited online activity, but did have accounts on encrypted social media platforms Discord and Steam.
In Saturday’s attack, Crooks grazed the former president’s ear, killed volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore and seriously wounded two other passersby before a sniper chased the suspect away.
Click here to get the FOX News app
The Secret Service was warned of suspicious activity at the rally 19 minutes before Crooks opened fire. Critics have called for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.
