Would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Crooks became “smug and arrogant” in class whenever students talked politics — and questioned why a classmate would support Trump, according to a former classmate.
“He just did not like politicians, especially with the choices that we had,” said Vincent Taormina, who went to high school with Crooks back in 2016 when Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders were all in the presidential race.
“He did not like our politicians,” Taormina told Fox News Digital, recalling how Crooks once mocked him and insinuated he was “stupid” for supporting Trump.
“I brought up the fact that I’m Hispanic and, you know, I’m for Trump. And he said, ‘Well, you’re Hispanic, so shouldn’t you hate Trump?’” Taormina said, recounting an English class discussion where Crooks came after him.
“No. He’s great. He was a great president. He called me stupid – or insinuated that I was stupid,” Taormina said.
A similar condescending attitude would emerge from the otherwise reclusive Crooks whenever subjects came up he thought he knew well — especially politics and math.
“He would just talk, talk and act like he knew everything, especially politics related, and he would say it in a tone that was like, ‘I’m better than you,’ in a type of way,’” said Taormina.
And though Crooks often kept to himself, Taormina said he did have a friend group — but that they were suspected of threatening a school shooting.
“They were definitely the type — and they did — make threats to shoot up our school,” Taormina said, adding that Crooks was absent from school for several days after one threat people suspected he was behind.
When he came back after that, Crooks was quieter about politics and dialed back his attitude.
“Everybody, anybody who knew him-knew him, should have seen something,” Taormina told Fox.
“They should have known something was up, and I know it’s kind of easy to hide, but people are going to get their affairs in order before they do something that’s bold and this drastic, and nobody saw it?”
The investigation into why Crooks turned a gun on the former president at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday — where he struck Trump in the ear, killed one bystander, and wounded two others — have so far yielded no results.
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Crooks, 20, had no criminal record before the assassination attempt, and no documented mental illness. The AR-style rifle he used in the attack belonged to his father, and he used ammunition he’d purchased legally that morning.
He lived with his parents in a modest home in Bethel Park, a suburb just south of Pittsburgh. His father was a registered Libertarian and his mother formerly a Democrat, but neighbors recalled seeing MAGA signage in their yard.
The family — which includes an older sister — have remained silent so far, saying only that they are cooperating with investigators.
Crooks was quickly killed by Secret Service snipers after he opened fire at the Trump rally.