Barbra Streisand has shared her theory about the assassination attempt made against Donald Trump—and she's been criticized for it.
The attempt was made on Saturday afternoon, when Trump, the Republican 2024 presidential nominee, was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. After shots were fired, the former president was seen grabbing his right ear as security agents flocked to protect him. The gunman, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed by the Secret Service.
As well as Trump being injured, a rally attendee was killed and two others were critically injured. The incident has raised questions as to how a 20-year-old gunman was able to climb onto a roof close to a leading presidential candidate and open fire on him with a .22-fitted AR-style rifle.
Streisand has now made comments about the incident, suggesting that the reason for Crooks' assassination attempt is that the former president is a "bully."
Thomas Matthew Crooks was a registered Republican but as it has been reported he was bullied a lot in school. Trump has always been branded to be a bully. Maybe that's what motivated him.
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) July 17, 2024
"Thomas Matthew Crooks was a registered Republican but as it has been reported he was bullied a lot in school. Trump has always been branded to be a bully. Maybe that's what motivated him," the Hollywood star posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
Newsweek emailed spokespeople for Streisand and Trump for comment on Friday.
People were quick to take to the comments to slam Streisand.
"You are utterly DISGUSTING! The assassination attempt on President Trump has beyond any doubt brought out the best in people as well as the worst in people!" one person wrote.
They added: "The supporters of President Trump realize just how miraculously close we came to losing him so we are praising God for watching over him while the so-called 'Trump haters' are expressing their disappointment that the shooter didn't have better aim! We have never been so divided as we are right now! Which side are you on?"
"You are absolutely pathetic! There is no way to twist this one around. All you liberal big mouths have been calling for this every friggen day for years. Well on Saturday one of those nuts did your bidding. Shame on you [exclamation mark emoji] You are a cold, hard nasty lady and you have blood on your hands," another passionate X user wrote.
A third added: "Just when I don't think you can be any more stupid...you exceed expectations. Somehow, somewhere, someway...you'll also find a new way to start living."
However, not everyone has criticized the Funny Girl actor, with one person writing: "Very good observation Barbra! Definitely possible."
"It would not surprise me at all. It does not matter at all which political party you are in when it comes to being bullied. It is still a problem in schools and affects teens when they get older!" said another.
"I hadn't thought about that. It seems that could be just as possible as any other theory floating around," someone else commented.
Investigators are working to determine what motivated Crooks to carry out the attack. The FBI said it is investigating the shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism and believe Crooks acted alone.
This isn't the first time that Streisand has shared her political opinions online, as she has long supported the Democratic Party and campaigned for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
On June 27, President Joe Biden and Trump faced off in their first presidential debate and Barbra Streisand expressed her frustration with how it was handled.
The debate was moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, who have faced criticism for not fact-checking the candidates during the debate. Streisand joined in on the outcry, criticizing the anchors for not keeping Trump on topic.
"What is wrong with these two moderators who let Trump change the subject? They ask him a question, but then let him go on a rampage about something else. Not fair!" she posted to X.
In a 2023 interview with The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, the actor said she would have to leave the country if Trump became president again.
"I can't live in this country if he becomes president," she said.
When Colbert asked Streisand where she would move, she responded: "Probably England, I like England."
