Viral clip of ABC News reporter does not prove he blamed Trump assassination attempt on ‘government’

Conspiracy theorists’ ears perked up July 24 when an ABC News reporter said what some people heard as his admitting the government was behind the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

"ABC News Reporter Says "The Government Tried To Kill President Trump!" exclaimed one TikTok video, sharing a clip of ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas introducing a report about new body camera video shortly after the shooting at a July 13 Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally.

Multiple TikTok users shared the same video clip, which also went viral on X, and was shared by popular conservative accounts. Commentator Benny Johnson, wrote, "Uh — what did he say? ‘The Government tried to kill President Trump … ’"

The Washington Examiner, a conservative news outlet, wrote an article headlined, "ABC News correspondent appears to claim ‘government tried to kill’ Trump in viral clip."

Neither ABC nor Thomas provided comments for this story.

But a closer listen to Thomas’ words and the context of his full "Good Morning America" report, which wasn’t shared in the shortened social media clips, makes clear that he was talking about the incident’s "gunman," not "government."

Thomas said, "Our audience is about to see the frantic seconds in the moments after the gunman tried to kill former President Trump. It’s all caught on police body cam video. And warning to our family at home, what you’re about to see may be disturbing."

The videos shared on social media end there, but the full report makes clear what Thomas said, as he referred to the "gunman" three more times and the "shooter" twice, and named the dead gunman.

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"This morning, new helmet-cam video obtained by ABC News showing the moments law enforcement raced to that roof after a sniper killed the gunman who opened fire at a Trump rally," Thomas said.

"Officers climbing up a ladder. In chilling detail the video shows an assault-style rifle lying next to the dead body of shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks," he said. "A trail of blood streaming down that sloped roof. An officer kneels down by the gunman. There appears to be a small device next to the shooter that was not seen earlier. The officer takes out the battery, then pulling out a phone as he checks the gunman’s pockets."

At no point in the report did Thomas say the government carried out the shooting. He spoke briefly about Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigning amid criticism of the agency’s handling of the Trump rally.

A look at ABC News July 24 coverage of the shooting and of stories Thomas reported shows no reports about a would-be assassin other than Crooks.

YouTube’s closed captioning on an ABC News video translated Thomas’ first use of the word "gunman" as "government"; all other mentions were translated as "gunman." A separate YouTube video posted by "Good Morning America" showed it was translated as "gunman" in closed captioning and in a transcript included in the video. A transcription from the Internet Archive, not an official transcript, used the word gunman, not government. 

There have been numerous baseless claims that the assassination attempt was carried out by the Secret Service or staged by Trump. So far, investigators identified only Crooks, 20, as the perpetrator. Secret Service snipers killed Crooks moments after he fired. 

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee on July 24 and said there’s no evidence that Crooks had any accomplices, but the investigation continues. 

With the context of Thomas’ statement clear, we rate claims that an ABC News reporter said the government tried to kill Trump False.