After the attack on former US President Donald Trump on July 13, various claims began circulating on social media. On July 14, Davit Kartvelishvili, a member of the “People’s Power” party, wrote on Facebook that the attacker had been identified as Mark Violets, a member of the “ANTIFA” movement, who released a video before the assassination attempt announcing that “justice is coming.” Kartvelishvili linked this attack to George Soros’s son, Alex Soros, claiming that on January 21, George Soros published a photo collage: one with a bullet-ridden glass and the other with dollar bills amounting to 47 USD, which is the number of the next US president. If Trump wins, he would be the 47th president. The post also noted that the “Open Society Foundation” funds “Antifa.”
Kartvelishvili’s post was also disseminated by the “People’s Power” Facebook page, pro-government POSTV, Marshalpress, NEWS.GE, X-news.ge, and “Reportiori.” The Kremlin-affiliated media outlet Tsargrad also disseminated the same claim that Trump was shot by Mark Violet, a member of “Antifa.”
Other claims regarding the attempted assassination of Trump also went viral on social media on July 14. For instance, the Facebook page Politics published a photo claiming that the attacker had undergone training with BlackRock.
The information and conspiracy theories about the attempted assassination of Trump are false:
- The attacker was 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, not Mark Violets. According to the most recent information, Crooks is not affiliated with Antifa.
- The photo in Alex Soros’s post is an illustration from an article published by The Atlantic, which discusses crime rates and inflation. There is no evidence linking the photo to an assassination attempt on Trump.
- Thomas Matthew Crooks appeared in a BlackRock promotional video and has no other connection to the company.
Who was the attacker?
On July 13, in Pennsylvania, during a meeting with voters, Donald Trump was shot by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, not Mark Violets. Before the shooter’s identity was known, English-speaking social media users spread the information that the attacker was Mark Violets, a member of Antifa, who had released a video before the attack saying that “justice is coming.” The posts included a photo of the alleged attacker. In fact, the person in the photo was Italian journalist and sports blogger Marco Violi, who had no connection to the attack on Trump. The information was fact-checked by PolitiFact. After the false information went viral, Marco Violi published a post on Instagram denying any involvement. Violi also mentioned that he plans to take legal action against those spreading false information. According to PolitiFact, Violi’s social media posts are primarily about football and are not related to American political events.
Regarding the attacker, Thomas Matthew Crooks, there is no information linking him to Antifa. Crooks worked in a nursing home kitchen, graduated from Community College of Allegheny County, and was a member of the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club. According to American media, Crooks was registered as a Republican voter, but in 2021, he donated $15 to the liberal campaign ActBlue. Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper after the attack on Trump.
Alex Soros’s post has NO connection to the attempted assassination of Trump
In January 2024, Alex Soros shared an article titled “The Great Normalization” on X (formerly Twitter), published by The Atlantic. The comments on the post accused Soros of threatening Trump. However, the post did not contain any calls for violence or threats, and there is no connection between the post and the attempted assassination of Trump. The photo collage with bullet-ridden glass and dollar bills was an illustration for The Atlantic article, which discusses crime rates and inflation trends in the US. The article mentions Trump in the context of how public perceptions of crime and inflation might benefit him in the election, as many believe he can handle these issues better. The article and Soros’s post do not contain any threats.
It is also noteworthy that the organization belonging to George Soros, the Open Society Foundation, is not linked to the Antifa movement. Claims that the foundation funds Antifa have circulated in the past, but fact-checking organizations PolitiFact and Snopes, as well as publications like The New York Times and Forbes, have found no evidence of any connection between George Soros or his organization and Antifa.
Thomas Matthew Crooks appeared in a BlackRock promotional video and has no other connection to the company
Thomas Matthew Crooks appeared in a 2022 promotional video for investment company BlackRock Inc. A shot from this promotional video, shared on Facebook, has nothing to do with any training or other events related to the company.
After the attack on Trump, the company released a statement about the ad. In 2022, the company filmed an ad at Bethel Park School, which discussed teachers managing their pension funds. Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was attending Bethel Park School at the time, appeared in this ad. In a comment to CBS MoneyWatch, a company representative stated that the students appearing in the ad were not paid. Crooks was not hired by BlackRock Inc. The company also noted that out of respect for the shooting victims, they would no longer run the ad. The company condemned the attack on Trump.
This is not the only false claim disseminated about the attempted assassination of Trump. For more details, see the “Myth Detector” article:
Archive links: Davit Kartvelishvili, People’s Power, POSTV, Marshallpress, NEWS.GE, X-news.ge, Reportiori
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