In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, many questions remain. As information about the would-be-assassin, 20-year-old Thomas Mathew Crooks becomes available to the American public, a clearer picture isn’t readily being painted. At least, not in the left-to-right lens of the political spectrum that is commonly applied in such cases.
It has been revealed that Crooks donated to the progressive campaign firm ActBlue on President Joe Biden’s inauguration day in 2021, and was a registered Republican. Some may argue his voter registration was simply to disrupt the closed GOP primary, but this is speculation. These kinds of contradicting facts surrounding the shadowy Crooks leave both sides of the aisle pointing fingers at each other, reminiscent of the Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man meme.
The shooter’s ideology remains an enigma, as federal officials are still determining why Crooks attempted to assassinate the former president, resulting in the murder of Corey Comperatore, 50, former Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department chief, and critically injuring David “Jake” Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, who are now in stable but serious condition.
According to CNN, members of Congress briefed by the Secret Service and the FBI revealed that Crooks appeared to have been gathering information about figures and events across the political spectrum. Lawmakers stated that officials have not yet identified a clear motive for the attack, but law enforcement sources revealed that the suspect’s phone contained images of Trump, Biden, and various congressional leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Images of politically adjacent figures were also discovered on Crook’s electronic devices including Rudy Giuliani and Fani Willis.
Other discoveries by investigators include a bullet-proof vest, rudimentary explosive devices and/or components, a secondary cellphone, and a laptop. Crooks had also searched for information on a depressive disorder, the mugshot of Michigan high school shooter, Ethan Crumbley who shot and murdered four of his classmates in 2021, along with information about Crumbley’s parents’ criminal convictions related to their son’s massacre.
Additionally, the phone showed internet searches dating back to the spring, focusing on Trump rally dates, and political convention information for both the Democrat and Republican parties. Based on the timing and content of his online searches, investigators are considering a theory that the shooter may have been planning a mass shooting, with the Trump event’s proximity—held about an hour from his home—and timing presenting a convenient opportunity, as first reported to CNN by a US official briefed on the matter.
This shocking theory may present the largest clue yet. He targeted a Trump rally… because it was closest to his house?
Instead of categorizing the information related to the assailant as left or right, Republican or Democrat, conservative or progressive, I propose a different classification: neither. The ideology of “Accelerationism” might offer a more suitable explanation for Crooks’ motives.
Accelerationism is a socio-political ideology that advocates for hastening or accelerating certain processes within society, economy, or culture with the belief that this acceleration will bring about radical change or collapse of the existing system. The core idea is that intensifying or exacerbating the flaws of the current system will lead to its eventual breakdown or transformation into something “better.”
As the FBI constructs a profile on the shooter, emerging information presents a paradox. Among these details, speculation suggests that the assassination attempt may have been driven by a desire for a catalyst of societal collapse. It remains unclear whether there was a specific intention for what system would rise to replace the current one if indeed Crooks had any such intention at all. It raises the unsettling possibility that chaos and havoc may have been the entirety of the intended outcome of what appears to be an intended mass shooting event.
Against this backdrop, the fact that the crowd didn’t scatter or panic, but instead stood by the former President and refused to leave him—as Trump acknowledged in his RNC acceptance speech on Thursday—may represent the ultimate victory against thwarted malice.
Trump’s attempted assassination marked a deeply traumatic moment in American history, shaking the foundations of our political process and discourse. This comes as the nation is polarized by attempts to remove Trump from the ballot and by the investigations into Trump, widely viewed as a weapon wielded by the Biden administration against a political opponent.
While we may never fully understand Crooks’ motives or the irrationality behind his actions, one thing remains clear: Trump’s unwavering calls for unity serve as a potent antidote to division, propelling our nation forward toward healing and resilience.
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