FACT CHECK: Did The Trump Shooter Post ‘July 13 Will Be My Premiere’ On Steam?

Multiple media outlets, such as Fox News, have reported that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, wrote on Steam, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.”

Verdict: Misleading

While investigators believed the account may have been associated with Crooks, they later determined it was fake, according to multiple sources. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reportedly said the account was fake.

Fact Check:

Investigators are still determining what motivated Crooks to attempt to assassinate Trump, according to The Washington Post. (RELATED: No, Video Does Not Show First Kamala Harris Presidential Ad)

Media outlets reported that sources said that Crooks wrote a message on Steam alluding to the assassination attempt. Steam is a popular computer gaming platform that is managed by Valve. Fox News reported that: “Crooks, 20, wrote in a post earlier this month, ‘July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.’”

The claim originates from a call law enforcement officials had with the Senate. Sources told Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich”‘ that Thomas Crooks wrote on a gaming platform called ‘Steam’, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.’”

🚨NEWS: Fox has learned that Senators were told in the all-member briefing today that Thomas Crooks wrote on a gaming platform called ‘Steam’, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds”

When investigators reviewed the laptop, they found a few searches in July of: Trump,…

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) July 18, 2024

A source familiar with the call told Check Your Fact that investigators did say Crooks had a Steam account. The New York Times reported that law enforcement “were investigating the possibility that an account bearing Mr. Crooks’s name on the gaming platform Steam had previewed the attack.”

CBS News reported that while investigators believed that the account was genuine, they later determined it was fake. CNN, citing a source, also reported that investigators believe the account is fake. The New York Times also reported that investigators determined it was fake.

Check Your Fact found a Steam account that federal investigators may have found. The account had Crooks’ name and image. On the profile, it reads, “July 13 will be my premier [sic], watch as it all unfolds.” The account’s name was changed on July 14, a day after the assassination attempt, according to a SteamID. (Check Your Fact took the screenshot before the username was changed again).

The account then claimed that the FBI made them change their name (Check Your Fact could not independently verify this claim). Steam ID shows that the account appears to have changed its name three times since July 14.

Aric Toler, a New York Times reporter, stated that the” FBI (or whoever contributed to that Senate briefing)” was “fooled by an obvious fake.”

Well, cross Steam off the list for now, with the FBI (or whoever contributed to that Senate briefing) getting fooled by an obvious fake. That said, I’m pretty certain he did have a Steam account, just not sure what the username is.

— Aric Toler (@AricToler) July 18, 2024

Fox News updated its article after Check Your Fact sent an inquiry, noting that a federal source told the outlet that the account was fake. A Fox News spokesperson pointed Check Your Fact to the editor’s note that reads,”Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the latest on the Steam account.”

The FBI told Check Your Fact that it did not have a comment on July 18. A FBI spokesperson reportedly confirmed to NBC News on July 22 that the account was fake. Check Your Fact reached out again on July 23 for comment.

Check Your Fact reached out to Valve for comment.