John Hinckley Jr. reacts to requests to assassinate Donald Trump
John Hinckley Jr., the gunman who nearly killed President Reagan in 1981, responded after social media users pressured him to shoot President-elect Trump.
The gunman who nearly killed former President Ronald Reagan in 1981 wants people to stop asking him to harm President-elect Donald Trump.
“I’m a man of peace now!” 69-year-old John Hinckley Jr. posted on X Thursday night. “Please stop with all the negative comments!”
The requests for Hinckley to attempt an assassination on another president sprung up on his social media feed Wednesday, hours after Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election.
A post promoting a website for his music and art was quickly swarmed by commenters telling Hinckley they’ve “got a job” for him.
“John, we’re all very big fans of your early work,” read one post. “You should definitely go back to that now more than ever.”
Another user tried to goad Hinckley into action, telling him to “do it for Jodie Foster.”
Hinckley successfully pleaded insanity in his trial for the attempted assassination of Reagan. He said he was hoping to impress Foster, who played the female lead in the 1976 film “Taxi Driver” about a man who plots to kill a U.S. president.
The Oklahoma native was moved to a Washington, D.C. mental hospital for treatment until 2016, when he was granted conditional release. Those restrictions were lifted in 2022. He has since tried to establish himself as a musician and artist.
When a would-be assassin shot Trump at a Pennsylvania rally in July, Hinckley condemned the violence.
“Violence is not the way to go,” he posted on X. “Give peace a chance.”
A Secret Service source told TMZ that agents were aware of the social media posts referencing Hinckley and the incoming president, but would “not [be] commenting on matters of protective intelligence.”
There have been other attempts to shoot the 78-year-old MAGA leader, including one in September at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla.
On Friday, the Justice Department announced it had charged an Iranian national for plotting to assassinate multiple U.S. targets, including Trump.
Trump will be sworn back into office on Jan. 20.
What's Your Reaction?
