Donald Trump shared stunning new details about the ongoing FBI reports into his two assassination attempts while yucking it up with reporters in the Oval Office Thursday afternoon.
Speaking from behind the Resolute Desk, the Republican president fielded a question about the status of the probes into both of his 2024 assassination attempts, in Butler on July 13 and in West Palm Beach on September 15.
Both are still under investigation and much remains unknown about the suspects Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed during the Butler shooting, and Ryan Routh, who is in federal custody.
‘I want to find the answers,’ Trump said. ‘In fact, today I said I want to, we can no longer blame Biden for that one.’
When quizzed on why the public does not know more about 20-year-old Crooks, whose bullet hit Trump’s ear, the president shot back an odd remark.
‘Yeah, oh, well, and the second one with all of his cell phones?’ Trump mentioned, seemingly referring to Routh—the man behind the second assassination attempt.
The Republican then disclosed another piece of new information.
‘You had one who had three apps, two of which were foreign, supposedly, and who has the biggest white shoe law firm in Pennsylvania, even though they don’t live in necessarily a white shoe area. What’s that all about his law?’
President Donald Trump speaking in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday where he revealed more about the FBI reports into his near assassination attempts in 2024
Trump pumps his fist after getting shot in the ear on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania
Ryan Routh (L) was arrested after hiding with an assault rifle outside of Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. Thomas Matthew Crooks (R) was killed after shooting Trump in Butler
The president said he will be briefed on the FBI reports into his two assassination attempts next week.
And Trump seemed to agree when he was asked about whether or not he believes there could be something ‘bigger’ behind why the reports are taking so long.
‘Other people think that,’ he said. ‘It makes me think it a little bit too.’
Then he launched back into the mysterious apps and multiple cell phones, some of which featured bizarre markings.
‘When you have three apps and two of them are foreign, and you had an FBI that wouldn’t report on it, they didn’t want to say why? I would say that could be suspicious,’ the 78-year-old president told the press.
‘But on the second one, he had six cell phones. That’s a lot of cell phones, and a couple of them had some strange markings on them,’ the president shared. ‘I don’t have six cell phones.’
He also thanked the Secret Service and said they did a wonderful job before teasing when he could release the reports publicly.
‘I would be willing to release it,’ he told the reporters in the room.
Trump said he may release a report into the attempts next week, but then walked it back
Law enforcement personnel investigate the area around Trump International Golf Club after an apparent assassination attempt on Trump
‘I mean that maybe there’s a reason that we shouldn’t,’ he backtracked immediately.
‘So I don’t want to get too far ahead of my skis. But yeah I wouldn’t be very willing to release that, I’d like to see it I want to see it myself. I want to see that one myself.’
Neither the FBI or other bodies investigating the events have given meaningful updates since last year.
The FBI’s last detailed briefing for the Butler case was in August 2024, while the last major update for the Florida shooting was in September.
