Photo shows Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was transgender.
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No, this picture does not show Thomas Matthew Crooks was transgender
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There is no evidence this is an image of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
- The picture shows a transgender woman identified as Rose, according to reporting by a transgender activist and independent journalist, and confirmed by PolitiFact.
An image widely shared on social media claims to show Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter in the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, was transgender.
"I wonder why this photo isn't being shared," read a July 17 Instagram post, along with the hashtags #lgbt #transgender #transition #woke #assassination #Trump #ThomasMatthewCrooks. The photo showed someone with long hair wearing a black choker necklace and puffed shoulder sleeves.
(Screenshot of Instagram post)
Transgender rights activist and journalist Erin Reed reported that the image shows an artist who goes by "Rose" and isn’t connected to Crooks. Reed interviewed Rose, who was "alarmed" to see her image. PolitiFact confirmed the picture’s origin and that the person in the picture isn’t Crooks.
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The picture was shared in a since-deleted X post from an account with the name Paul Hookem, which describes itself as the "#KingofMemes" and says it was "unbanned by Elon Musk after almost 4 years." Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones reposted the image, too.
The FBI investigation into Crooks is ongoing and investigators continue to seek a motive for the shooting. The agency’s statements about Crooks have not included any suggestion that Crooks is transgender.
News reports that have examined the 20-year-old’s background said he was from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, got his associate degree in engineering science from the Community College of Allegheny in 2024 and planned to attend a four-year college. He worked as a dietary aide at a nursing and rehabilitation center and was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen's Club, a local gun club. We have seen no mention of Crooks being transgender.
We rate the claim that this photo shows Crooks was transgender False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, July 17, 2024
Erin In The Morning, Fact Check: Viral Picture Of "Trans Trump Shooter" Turns Out To Be Someone Else, July 18, 2024
X post (archived), July 18, 2024
Paul Hookem, X account, accessed July 22, 2024
PinkNews, No, Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks wasn't trans – it's fake news, July 19, 2024
ABC, Secret Service spotted Trump rally shooter on roof 20 minutes before gunfire erupted, July 17, 2024
FBI, FBI Statement on Incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024
CNN, Investigators piece together a puzzling portrait of the shooter who sought to assassinate Trump, July 19, 2024
NBC News, Trump rally shooter identified as 20-year-old Pennsylvania man, July 14, 2024
NPR, Who was Thomas Matthew Crooks, the Trump shooter? July 14, 2024
New York Times, The FBI Identifies Suspected Gunman in Trump Rally Shooting: What to Know, July 14, 2024
BBC, Thomas Matthew Crooks: What we know about Donald Trump's attacker, July 18, 2024
Email interview with Erin Rose, independent journalist and transgender activist, July 23, 2024
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No, this picture does not show Thomas Matthew Crooks was transgender
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