EXCLUSIVE: Trump Claims Newly Uncovered Evidence in Butler Shooting Mystery Exposes 'Democratic Plot' to Take Him Out
President Trump has suggested an attack on his life was orchestrated by his Democratic opponents.
Sept. 25 2026, Published 3:45 p.m. ET
Donald Trump has dropped an assassination bombshell, claiming newly uncovered information has convinced him Democrats plotted to take him out of the 2024 presidential race when a gunman opened fire at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on July 13, 2024, RadarOnline.com can report.
The then-presidential candidate narrowly escaped an assassination attempt as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle, hitting Trump in the upper right ear.
Trump Blames His Enemies
The president was on the campaign trail when shots rang out at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.
Trump made his accusation on his Truth Social account, posting, "Everybody knows the Crooked Joe Biden FBI didn't do what they should have with respect to the Lunatic who shot me in Butler, Pa.
"By the time I got into Office, on January 20th, most of the information was missing, altered, corrupted, or gone."
The 80-year-old continued, "New info was just found! Why wasn't it seen long ago? This was all a Democrat Plot, to get me out of the Election, that failed."
Trump leveled the explosive charge after new information emerged from the massive FBI investigation, which involved 485 bureau employees, more than 1,000 interviews, the review of 2,000 tips, the execution of more than 10 search warrants, and the issuance of 100 subpoenas.
However, investigators have not publicly produced evidence linking Biden or other Democrats to would-be assassin Crooks, and authorities have yet to establish a motive for the gunman.
'It Was an Inside Job'
Thomas Matthew Crooks was taken out by Secret Service agents on the scene.
But Trump's not the only one to question the Butler shooting. Crooks may have failed to kill the candidate, but he did strike and kill nearby Trump supporter Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief.
His wife, Helen Comperatore, has said she was among those uncertain about the FBI's conclusion.
"I believe it was an inside job, inside the government somewhere," she claimed, pointing toward a government led by Biden at the time.
When asked about evidence, she alleged to NewsNation she has been shown "things," adding, "But I have something that happened with me that just afterwards and you're starting to put the pieces together, it just made total sense."
The Secret Service Is Publicly Reprimanded
The government found crucial information was not relayed between departments.
Exactly one year after the shooting, it was revealed that senior-level officials of the Secret Service knew about a "classified threat" against Trump in Butler.
According to the Government Accountability Office, the agency's failure to disseminate this crucial intelligence to the agents responsible for Trump's security significantly endangered his life.
The GAO's report indicates that the critical intelligence concerning the threat was provided to Secret Service officials well in advance of the rally. But agents in the field were reportedly in the dark concerning the imminent danger, which had been classified as "highly sensitive."
This oversight raised alarm bells about operational practices within the agency tasked with protecting high-profile individuals, particularly the President of the United States.
As the report cited: "The Secret Service had no process to share classified threat information with partners when the information was not considered an imminent threat to life."
A 'Failure' to Share Intelligence
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Others have speculated the attack could have been an 'inside job.'
As the GAO report detailed, local law enforcement and personnel responsible for developing security measures were also left unaware of the threat. The agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office confirmed that he did not receive any information about the looming danger.
The report revealed: "If he had received the threat information, he would have requested additional assets, such as ballistic glass, additional drone mitigation, and a full counter-sniper advance team, among other assets."
The failure to share this intelligence has resulted in significant consequences. Six Secret Service agents were suspended, while critics of the agency called out a pattern of mismanagement that they claim "jeopardizes national security" and "hurts the credibility of a service meant to protect key public figures."
