The man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump, Thomas Crooks, had already hinted at his intentions in a post on the gaming platform Steam. The 20-year-old posted, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds” earlier this month, an ominous remark that seemingly pointed to the date of his attack. Steam features a game entitled Mr. President!, an assassination-themed game, though there is no proof that Crooks played it.
Investigators say that Crooks’ laptop contained internet searches on Trump, President Biden, the Democratic National Convention, and the July 13 Trump rally. However, according to retired FBI agent and behavior analysis expert Jim Clemente, the motivations behind Crooks’ actions were likely a desire for infamy rather than any political ideology.
The Steam gaming community noted the real-world parallels to the Mr. President! game following the assassination attempt. While some users joked about it, others expressed discomfort at the alarming similarities between the game’s content and the real-life situation. A representative for Valve, the parent company of Steam, hasn’t yet commented on these developments.
Crooks managed to graze Trump’s ear and kill or injure several bystanders during the attack before being neutralized by snipers. After the incident, critics are calling for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, as the agency allegedly received a warning about a suspicious individual at the rally 19 minutes prior to the attack.