Following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, one of the most prominent news bytes among the propaganda media was the shooter’s alleged political affiliation.
Corporate media outlets didn’t hesitate to note that Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old Pennsylvania native who shot Trump in the face, killed a rally attendee, and injured two others, was a registered Republican.
“Crooks was a registered Republican, according to Pennsylvania voter records,” wrote NBC News in an article the day after the assassination attempt. A CNN article with the headline “What We Know About The Trump Rally Gunman So Far” used the line “A 20-year-old living in a crucial swing state” to begin to describe the man who wreaked irreversible havoc on July 13. USA Today reported that Crooks donated to ActBlue but “registered as a Republican” “after he turned 18” later the same year.
In the wake of Trump’s near assassination, some in the media find the most pressing detail Crooks’ political affiliation, as if Crooks’ allegedly being a registered Republican removes the layer of political violence from the attack: he is supposedly “one of Trump’s own.” Of course, corporate media would love to have another excuse to portray political violence as a right-wing problem, as they have with their coverage of Jan. 6.
In reality, there is no shortage of left-wing radical assassins. Here are five assassinations and assassination attempts on presidents committed by left-wing perpetrators.
1. Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22,
