Did “They” Try to Kill Donald Trump? What Eric Trump Said—and What the Record Shows

Short answer: No public evidence supports a coordinated “they” behind the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting. Investigators say the gunman acted alone; the motive remains unclear. Now, here’s what the documents—and the contradictions—reveal.

The Interview That Lit the Fuse

Eric Trump went on CNN to promote his new book Under Siege and blasted the investigation into the July 2024 rally shooting in Butler, PA. He said he was “totally unsatisfied,” insisted “we know nothing” about the shooter, and suggested a broad “they” tried to do to his father what happened to conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Two quick corrections up top:

• The segment aired Saturday, October 18, 2025, on Smerconish—not Sunday. CNN transcript
• The book is real and was released October 14, 2025 by Threshold Editions (Simon & Schuster). Publisher listing

Those details are small. What matters more is what we do—and don’t—know about the Butler attacker, and whether Eric Trump’s “they” claim has support.

What We Actually Know About the Butler Shooter

Eric Trump said, “We know nothing about him.” That’s not accurate. Public reporting and law enforcement statements have established key facts about Thomas Matthew Crooks:

• Identity: 20, from Bethel Park, PA
• Weapon: obtained via his father; fired eight shots
• Casualties: one attendee killed, others injured
• Materials: bomb components found
• Motive: still unknown; no definitive ideology identified
• Co-conspirators: none identified to date; law enforcement says he acted alone

Sources: Reuters, Politico

The “They” Claim vs. the Evidence

Eric Trump’s implication—that a coordinated “they” tried to assassinate Donald Trump—remains unsupported. Law enforcement has not tied the Butler attack to any organized plot, and there’s no public evidence of a broader conspiracy. Politico

That doesn’t mean authorities did everything right. Separate reviews faulted Secret Service planning and information-sharing around the event—serious failures that, according to a Senate Judiciary summary, created conditions for a preventable tragedy. Operational breakdowns are not the same thing as a coordinated plot. Senate Judiciary summary

Eric Trump’s List of Grievances: What’s Accurate, What’s Framed

Eric Trump cited a pattern: impeachments, ballot-removal efforts, tax returns, a “raid.” These events happened—but some details in the telling need precision.

• Impeachments: True. Donald Trump was impeached twice (Dec. 18, 2019; Jan. 13, 2021). Congressional Record
• Ballot-removal attempts: True. Several states tried to remove him under the 14th Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court blocked those efforts on March 4–5, 2024. Reuters
• Tax returns “leaked”: Misleading. They were publicly released by the House Ways & Means Committee in December 2022—an official action, not an anonymous leak. Guardian summary
• Mar-a-Lago “raid”: The term is political language. It was a court‑authorized FBI search on August 8, 2022, executed under a warrant. Washington Post

The Charlie Kirk Reference: What We Can—and Can’t—Confirm

Eric Trump suggested “they” did to his father “exactly what they did to Charlie Kirk.”

• Verified: Charlie Kirk was killed in September 2025 while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah; Donald Trump later posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Reuters
• Unverified: The claim Eric Trump attended the UVU event. In the CNN transcript we reviewed, he says, “I see my buddy bleeding to death,” but does not say he was physically present. We found no reliable confirmation he attended. Treat this as unverified. CNN transcript

Crucially, drawing a straight line between the Butler shooting and Kirk’s killing requires evidence of a common plot. No such public evidence exists.

A Small but Telling Detail: The Day

The original piece places Eric Trump’s CNN appearance on Sunday. CNN lists it on Saturday, October 18, 2025. It’s a minor correction—but accuracy on the small things builds trust on the big ones. CNN transcript

What’s Still Unknown

• Motive: Investigators have not publicly identified a motive or ideology for Thomas Matthew Crooks.
• Networks: No co-conspirators have been identified, but investigations continue.

In other words: there are real unanswered questions—but they don’t add up to proof of a conspiracy.

How We Checked This

We reviewed:

• CNN’s transcript of the Smerconish segment featuring Eric Trump CNN
• The publisher’s listing for Under Siege Simon & Schuster
• Congressional records on impeachment Congress.gov
• Supreme Court outcome on 14th Amendment disqualification cases Reuters
• Reporting on the Butler shooting and investigative status Reuters, Politico
• A Senate Judiciary summary of security failures in Butler Judiciary.senate.gov
• Reporting on Charlie Kirk’s killing and subsequent honors Reuters
• Coverage of the Mar-a-Lago search and tax return release Washington Post, Guardian

Bottom Line

• No evidence of a coordinated “they” behind the Butler shooting.
• We do know many facts about the shooter; motive remains the key missing piece.
• Several of Eric Trump’s examples are accurate events—but some details are misframed: tax returns were released by Congress, not leaked; the FBI search was court-approved.
• Charlie Kirk’s killing is confirmed, but linking it to Butler as part of the same plot is unsupported.
• Even critics of the investigation agree on this: security failures are real, but they are not proof of a conspiracy.

When the stakes are life and death, precision matters. Strong claims need strong evidence—and so far, that evidence isn’t there.