Trump shooter Thomas Crooks labeled a quiet loner who used bizarre pseudonym as haunting new details emerge in FBI docs

- Sign up HERE to our DC Insider newsletter - your guide to what's rocking Washington, rattling the White House and setting tongues wagging on the Hill - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old who tried to assassinate Donald Trump in 2024, was described as a quiet loner in newly released interviews with the gunman's distant father. Crooks fired eight rounds from an AR-15 style rifle from a nearby roof at a Trump rally on July 13, 2024, wounding Trump in his right ear, killing a Trump fan in the audience, Corey Comperatore, and injuring two others. asserted

The FBI interviews with Crooks' father, Matthew, were given to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley as part of the Iowa Republican's investigation into the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting. asserted

The father said that despite his son's behavior, he 'never showed any signs indicating something was wrong' in the time leading up to the shooting. asserted

Matthew admits that his son was remarkably quiet, rarely laughed and was hard to understand and said they 'never really had a father/son bond.' He noted that his son was quiet to an extent where when he was born 'he did not scream and he was always quiet from that point on,' with Matthew and wife Mary believing their son may have ADHD. uncertain

At one point, his lack of emotion frustrated Matthew to the point that he 'pushed' Thomas until he cried after the boy dumped a full container of fish food into his sister's fish tank in response to an argument. asserted

The father did note that his son would eventually become a little more animated in elementary school but only to act out because 'he was bored,' the documents obtained by The New York Post claim. uncertain

Thomas Crooks, the 20 year old who tried to assassinate Donald Trump in 2024, was described as a quiet loner in newly released interviews with the gunman's distant father Crooks fired eight rounds from an AR-15 style rifle from a nearby roof at a Trump rally on July 13, 2024, wounding Trump in his right ear, killing a Trump fan in the audience, Corey Comperatore, and injuring two others He once wrecked a school desk and briefly befriended what his father saw as a 'bad' group of other children. Things grew worse in high school, as Thomas got quieter and quieter, started talking to himself and struggled to talk to his teachers, Matthew claimed. asserted

While he 'never showed interest in girls,' Thomas 'repeatedly denied' accusations that he was gay, Matthew told the FBI. asserted

Thomas put 'a lot of pressure on himself' as college applications came around, with Matthew saying his son eventually got an impressive 1500 on his SATs despite not studying. However, Crooks said that his son never really had any convictions for future plans beyond ideas. asserted

'At one point, Thomas wanted to join the military to work in nuclear submarines, but this was more of just an idea as Thomas thought it would be cool,' one FBI agent notes from speaking to the father. asserted

Matthew expressed regret that his work schedule kept him from being able to be around his son more often, saying that talking him through extracurricular activities could have helped the boy. uncertain

An interest in firearms appeared to spark something in the boy, Matthew claimed, though he said his son wanted nothing to do with hunting and 'hated' fishing. asserted

The FBI interviews with Crooks' father, Matthew (pictured), were given to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley as part of the Iowa Republican's investigation into the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting The father said that despite his son's behavior, he 'never showed any signs indicating something was wrong' in the time leading up to the shooting The pair's conversations would usually involve guns, with Matthew calling it 'odd' that his son asked him if he needed a background check to buy his father's Glock or if he could have his grandfather's guns. uncertain

Matthew told FBI agents that his son began his new hobby by joining a gun club when the pandemic began, saying 'he could not hit' paper targets. uncertain

After about four to five years of practicing, he became a solid shooter, noting that he began trying to hit targets from further and further distances, explaining that 'he wanted to see how far he could shoot with rudimentary sights.' He began buying big quantities of 'parts, tools and items to increase the capacity of his rifle' off Amazon, using the name of former Senator and presidential candidate 'Bob Dole' as a pseudonym. uncertain

Thomas had become paranoid about his checking account being hacked after his father had experienced a hack, though Matthew explained that he could still be hacked under a fake name. uncertain

The son eventually taught his father how to use software to hide your identity to, as Thomas explained it, make them 'less likely to be compromised by outside actors.' asserted

Thomas started to build things using a 3D printer, even once creating a Glock 19 that he immediately got rid of after firing a single round, worried that the frame would explode. asserted

A second person interviewed by investigators - whose name was redacted from the documents - spoke about Crooks' political interests. Matthew admits that his son was remarkably quiet, rarely laughed and was hard to understand and said they 'never really had a father/son bond.' The pair's conversations would usually involve guns, with Matthew calling it 'odd' that his son asked him if he needed a background check to buy his father's Glock or if he could have his grandfather's guns. uncertain

Pictured: Crooks' weapons taken from the scene of the shooting They called Thomas a 'big history buff' who had a 'nonchalant' interest in political discussions and 'spoke often about Trump and [Joe] Biden back when Trump initially got elected,' even repeatedly bringing up Marco Rubio. asserted

Matthew said of his son: 'Thomas called himself a Republican. asserted

Thomas did not like the welfare state and was against the 'woke' ideology but never really espoused the Republican ideology.' asserted

He noted, however, that his son didn't seem to gravitate to either party - crediting Thomas' status as a registered Republican to his own - and that they would often make fun of politicians from both parties. asserted

Thomas 'did not believe the 2020 presidential election was rigged' and 'expressed shock' over the events of January 6, 2021, Matthew claimed, but that overall he was more critical of Trump than his son. asserted

He was surprised to learn his son had made a small donation to a Democrat group called Progressive Turnout Project in 2021. asserted

He idolized the superhero Iron Man, loved movies like Saving Private Ryan, Full Metal Jacket and John Wick, while enjoying rap and country music, Matthew said. asserted

Ultimately, he reiterated that no one in their family thought there were any red flags about Thomas prior to the shooting. asserted

Much of the investigation into the mysterious shooter has baffled the media and onlookers. asserted

He idolized the superhero Iron Man, loved movies like Saving Private Ryan, Full Metal Jacket and John Wick, while enjoying rap and country music, Matthew said Investigators found 22 unfired rounds and extra magazines in Crooks' vehicle, along with a ballistic vest. asserted

An undetonated explosive device was also discovered in the car. asserted

The device had a receiver for remote detonation but was in the off position, preventing activation. asserted

The would-be assassin was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper. asserted

The President, in an extraordinary moment, raised his clenched fist as he was mobbed by bodyguards, shouting to his supporters: 'Fight, fight, fight.' asserted

Many do not believe the official version of the incident, especially since the FBI originally said Crooks had almost no digital footprint - and certainly did not disclose that Crooks exhibited violent, radical tendencies online. asserted

The FBI then had to walk that back in November 2025 when Tucker Carlson released a documentary Who is Thomas Crooks? on November 14 with extensive and authenticated proof of Crooks' radical online presence - and revealed the existence of the mysterious 'Willy Tepes' for the first time. asserted

Carlson said in the video that a source was able to retrieve Crooks' social media accounts from his Google Drive account after many, if not all, of them had been wiped off YouTube. asserted

Right after Carlson's video went up, FBI Director Kash Patel released a statement describing what he said was an extensive investigation into 'nearly 500,000 digital files' from '13 seized digital devices' as part of the Crooks case. asserted

The FBI also created what it called the 'FBI Rapid Response' on X in response to Carlson's video. asserted

In one of its first posts, it wrote: 'This FBI has never said Thomas Crooks had no online footprint ever.' asserted

But a community note added to the post pointed out that during a Senate hearing shortly after the assassination attempt, FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate did vaguely disclose a social media account believed to be associated with Crooks but went on to describe a 'general absence of other information to date from social media.' asserted