President Donald Trump has announced that he will be releasing reports on the assassination attempts against him, promising transparency regarding the attacks that nearly took his life during the 2024 presidential campaign. Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, Trump expressed his frustration over the lack of information available to the public and vowed to release details soon.
“It’s been seven months. Why do you think we don’t know more about the guy who shot you in the ear?” Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Thursday.
“We can no longer blame Biden for that one,” Trump responded. “He should have released that a long time ago. So they are giving me a report next week sometime and I do believe I’ll be releasing. I want to release the report, a lot of people have asked that question.”
Trump was the target of two assassination attempts in 2024. The first occurred on July 13, 2024, at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, when Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old gunman, opened fire from an elevated position 400 feet away.
Trump was struck in the upper right ear, and one attendee was killed while two others sustained critical injuries. Secret Service counter-snipers responded within seconds, killing Crooks on the scene. A bipartisan Senate report later found that technical failures and security lapses contributed to the incident.
The second attempt happened on September 15, 2024, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. A Secret Service agent spotted Ryan Wesley Routh, a suspect armed with a rifle concealed in the bushes near the golf course. The agent opened fire, prompting Routh to flee the scene before being captured while attempting to drive away. Routh has pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his preliminary trial scheduled for September 8, 2025.
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Trump pointed out peculiar details about both suspects, particularly their access to foreign technology and legal representation. “You had one who had three apps, two of which were foreign supposedly and who has the biggest white shoe law firm in Pennsylvania, even though they don’t live in necessarily a white shoe area,” Trump said, referring to Crooks.
He then raised further questions about Routh, citing the number of phones in his possession.
Trump also praised the Secret Service for preventing a potential second shooting at his golf club, though he reiterated concerns about unanswered questions.
“On the second assassin… I have to tell you, Secret Service did a great job on that by spotting them. But on the second one, he had six cell phones. That’s a lot of cell phones. And a couple of them had some strange markings on them. So yeah, I want to find out.”
While making it clear that he intends to share what he learns with the public, Trump left open the possibility that some information could be withheld for security reasons.
“I would be willing to release it. I mean, maybe there’s a reason that we shouldn’t, so I don’t want to get too far ahead of my skis, but yeah, I would be very willing to release that. I’d like to see it.”
Trump’s decision to release the report is likely to renew focus on both assassination attempts, particularly whether security failures or deeper political motivations were involved. The president has long criticized federal agencies, including the FBI, for a lack of transparency.
