Tag: donald trump

Major News Outlet Urges Media to Bury Iconic Trump Photo Due to “Free PR” Concerns

A major news outlet’s photo editor criticized the widespread publishing of a dramatic photo depicting former President Donald Trump just moments after an assassination attempt, calling it unintentional “free PR” for Trump, and calling for it to not be shown.

The editor, whose identity remains confidential, emphasized the potential danger in glorifying such an image, according to an Axios analysis of media trends.

The photo shows Trump right after a bullet narrowly missed him at a rally in Pennsylvania. Captured by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, the image went viral, showing Trump, bloodied but unbowed, raising a fist to his supporters as he was hurried off stage, flanked by the Secret Service, with the American flag in the background.

Despite its acclaim as a symbol of defiance and resilience, the photo editor and a photographer from the same outlet have advised against its frequent use in the media, warning that it could inadvertently serve to enhance Trump’s public image positively.

Trump himself commented on the photo’s impact in an interview with the New York Post, proudly noting the iconic status of the image and the unusual circumstance of surviving such an ordeal, saying, “A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen. They’re right and I didn’t die. Usually, you have to die to have an iconic picture.”

The call for censorship of the dramatic image raises several concerns, particularly regarding the principles of press freedom and public interest. Firstly, the idea of withholding the image from public view under the pretext of preventing “free PR” for Trump challenges the fundamental role of the media in providing a comprehensive and unfiltered view of significant events.

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MSNBC star Joy Reid pumps more conspiracy theories about Trump assassination attempt: ‘That seems really unusual… it’s weird’

MSNBC’s Joy Reid took to X to share another round of conspiracies about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump – including that he may not have even been shot at all. 

The liberal anchor, 55, listed a number of things she finds ‘weird’ about the shocking episode in Butler, Pennsylvania, and appeared to imply that it was a staged event. 

‘We still don’t know for sure whether Donald Trump was hit by a bullet,’ she began. ‘We know almost nothing.’ 

Although Reid appeared to float some questions that officials have already answered, her remarks come amid mounting pressure on the Secret Service to explain the disastrous security slip that allowed the shooting to occur. 

Reid shared her speculation to social media shortly after she raised eyebrows in a broadcast from the Republican National Convention, as news broke that President Biden tested positive for Covid. 

She compared Biden recovering from the virus in ‘a couple of days’ to Trump standing up and pumping his fist seconds after being shot, feeling they ‘convey the exactly the same thing.’ 

After also branding the assassination attempt a ‘photo op’ in the broadcast, Reid took a similar tune in her X clip as she appeared to speculate that Trump’s Secret Service agents paused to allow Trump to ‘pose’ for an iconic picture. 

‘We don’t know why, for nine full seconds, Donald Trump was allowed to stand back up during an active shooting,’ Reid said.   

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Thomas Matthew Crooks hid rifle in advance of Trump rally sniper attack, Secret Service source says

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old would-be assassin who opened fire on former President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania campaign rally Saturday, hid the weapon in advance, according to a Secret Service source.

It was not immediately clear where he hid it, however.

By the time agents spotted him on the roof, he was already holding it.

“We went from golf range finder to AR-15, and now we have to fill in the gap,” the source told Fox News.

When authorities first observed Crooks carrying a golf range finder Saturday, he was perceived as a “person of interest” but not a “threat,” authorities said Thursday.

Range finders were not banned from rally events at the time, but authorities are expected to review the list of items that are not allowed.

He did not become an official threat until he was seen with a weapon.

There were four counter-sniper teams stationed around the rally, according to the Secret Service – two from the agency and two provided by local law enforcement.

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FBI Finds Suspicious Message Linked to Trump Assassination Attempt: Report

Investigators have found a suspicious message linked to the would-be Trump assassin who attempted to kill the former president in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

They also found some questionable recent Google searches, per OSINTdefender.

The perpetrator of this heinous act has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks; a 20-year-old whose former classmates once nicknamed him “school shooter.”

OSINTdefender reported that the FBI found the chilling message from Crooks on the digital gaming platform known as Steam.

This came just before Crooks’ near-assassination of Trump.

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Thomas Matthew Crooks Exposed as Intolerant Trump Hater — Mocked Classmates for Supporting Trump, Former Classmates Reveal

A former classmate of Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, has come forward with claims that Crooks openly mocked him for supporting the former president.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that Crooks, born on September 20, 2003, is a registered Republican according to the Voter Status Record on the Department of State website.

Though he is registered as a Republican, it does not mean he was.

In an exclusive video interview with Fox News Digital, Vincent Taormina, an ex-classmate of Crooks’, shared his experiences with him.

Taormina described Crooks as a quiet individual unless it came to subjects he was passionate about – politics being one of them. He revealed that Crooks had a strong dislike for politicians, particularly those who ran for office in 2016.

“He just did not like politicians, especially with the choices that we’ve had. It was Bernie Sanders, Hillary, and all of them. He showed that he just liked none of them,” Taormina said.

“I brought up the fact that I’m Hispanic and I’m for Trump. He said, ‘Well, you’re Hispanic, so shouldn’t you hate Trump?’ I was like, ‘No, he’s great. I mean, he’s a great president.’ He called me stupid or insinuated that,” Taormina said.

Taormina described Crooks as a “know-it-all.” who would dominate conversations about politics. Crooks’ demeanor while discussing politics often came across as arrogant and smug.

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Interview: “There Should be a Lot of Blood” — Photos and ER Trauma Surgeon Claims Trump Rally Sniper Body is Missing Massive Bloodsprays

Dr. Mollie James is an Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Room trauma surgeon who practices in multiple states. She has extensive experience in dealing with the aftermath of gunshots and treating gunshot victims.

Dr. James says the few pictures that have emerged from the rally scene don’t make sense.

“There should be a lot of blood, and there aren’t, in these pictures,” said Dr. James

Dr. James says that the pictures of what federal authorities claim is the body of Thomas Crooks on top of the American Glass Research building in Butler, Pennsylvania, from where Crooks is alleged to have taken shots at President Trump, is missing a large bloodspray behind the body that would be typical.

“There should be a considerable amount of blood. It depends on the exact trajectory through the head and also a few other factors, but behind the body should be a significant amount of blood, brain, hair, skull fragments, and even vertebrae,” Dr. James said.

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Report: Shooter’s Parents Alerted Police BEFORE Trump Assassination Attempt

It is emerging that police were alerted to would be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks’ erratic behaviour by his own parents before he carried out the shooting that almost killed Trump.

Almost a week after the incident, so much has emerged that paints a picture of either complete security failure, or as former Army sniper turned GOP congressman Cory Mills suggests, an intentional stand down.

It is now known that Crooks was witnessed walking around the site of the rally up to three hours before the shooting, and that he was let inside the perimeter with a range finder for a firearm.

He was subsequently reported as a suspicious person.

The questions are piling up.

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Shooter Allegedly Brought His Own Ladder to Event

CNN just reported the following:

In the 48 hours before he opened fire on former President Donald Trump, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks made a series of stops in and around his suburban Pittsburgh hometown.

On Friday, he went to a shooting range where he was a member, and practiced firing, a law enforcement official told CNN. The next morning, Crooks went to a Home Depot, where he bought a five-foot ladder, and a gun store, where he purchased 50 rounds of ammunition, the official said.

Then, Crooks drove his Hyundai Sonata about an hour north, joining thousands of people from around the region who flocked to Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He parked the car outside the rally, with an improvised explosive device hidden in the trunk that was wired to a transmitter he carried, the official said. Then, investigators believe, he used his newly-bought ladder to scale a nearby building, and opened fire on the former president.

IF this is true, it is yet another glaring indication that security was simply pulled from the building located about 130 yards north of where Trump was scheduled to speak.

Naturally the notion of Crooks toting a ladder up to the building without being observed and stopped seems beyond belief. The CNN report mentions nothing about a roof rack on his car, and even a telescoping ladder probably wouldn’t fit in a Hyundai Sonata.

An alternative theory is that the alleged “law enforcement” official quoted by CNN is misdirection—that is, that in fact it was conveyed to Crooks that the ladder would already be in place upon his arrival. Given that the building was the most logical place to post police sentries, one wonders if the ladder was originally erected for police officers who then—for some reason—left their post and left the ladder in place.

IF Crooks brought the ladder with him, he must have visited the building in advance to ascertain the roof height and a favorable place to erect the ladder (on a section of wall conveniently obscured by a cluster of ornamental cypress trees).

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FALSE FLAG? CNN Runs Iranian ‘Plot’ to Kill Trump ‘Exclusive’ After Vance’s Call for War

CNN ran an exclusive story on Tuesday claiming that “U.S. authorities obtained intelligence from a human source in recent weeks on a plot by Iran to try to assassinate Donald Trump.”

Citing “multiple people briefed on the matter,” the report said there is no evidence that the deceased gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was connected to the plot.

the news outlet tried to stand up its flimsy story by stating that Iran “has repeatedly vowed revenge for the U.S. military’s killing of Qasem Soleimani.”

The timing of the report could not have been any better for Trump and his pro-Israel campaign.

Sen. J.D. Vance, Donald Trump’s VP pick, made it his top priority to call for war with Iran and said the U.S. needs to stop with little pinpricks against Iran, and “punch Iran hard.”

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Investment Firm Denies Shorting Trump Media Stock Day Before Assassination Attempt

Investment firm Austin Private Wealth LLC has denied claims that it placed a massive put option on Trump Media & Technology Group stock the day before the assassination attempt, asserting that the filing was a “clerical error”.

In stock market terms, a put option is basically a bet that the asset’s price will fall, which would have almost certainly occurred if Trump had been killed.

As writer and researcher Josh Walkos highlighted, it appeared as though the firm had “shorted 12,000,000 shares of $DJT via a put option. The filing date is July 12th, the day before the assassination attempt.”

“They have around $1 Billion in assets under management and this is by far the largest put placed,” wrote Walkos.

A Bloomberg terminal screenshot showed that the contract subsequently disappeared from the record.

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