--- title: "Minister says some congregants wished Trump assassin more successful" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/minister-says-some-congregants-wished-trump-assassin-more-successful" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/minister-says-some-congregants-wished-trump-assassin-more-successful" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/minister-says-some-congregants-wished-trump-assassin-more-successful.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/minister-says-some-congregants-wished-trump-assassin-more-successful" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-09T21:25:27.931Z" source_reported: "2026-09-09T19:43:32.000Z" updated: "2026-09-09T21:25:27.931Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 59 hype_score: 68 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-09T22:15:36.363446+00:00" --- # Minister says some congregants wished Trump assassin more successful *Remarks by Rev. Babs Miller at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church were captured on hidden camera.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to Townhall Media, a named body, with a video cited. - Craft 59 of 100, higher is better. Reports quote directly from a video and attribute claims to specific individuals. - Hype 68 of 100, lower is better. Headlines and content use loaded language like 'SICK PEOPLE' and 'nasty undercover video'. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Rev. Babs Miller, a minister at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, said some members wish the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump had been more successful. - Miller also stated that most congregants identify as agnostic or atheist, not Christian. - The remarks were captured on a hidden camera by Townhall Media and concern Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot Trump in the ear during the 2024 incident. - James Talarico, a Democratic Party Senate candidate, is a longtime congregant at St. Andrew’s. Rev. Babs Miller, a minister at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, stated that some congregants wished the young man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump had been more successful. Miller also indicated that most congregants do not truly believe in Christian teachings, with the majority identifying as agnostic or atheist if polled. The remarks were captured in a hidden camera report by Townhall Media and refer to Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024. James Talarico, a Democratic Party Senate candidate, is a longtime congregant of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Rev. Dr. Jim Rigby has served as pastor for over 35 years. ## Disagreement on minister's identity The Gateway Pundit identified the speaker as the "female pastor" at James Talarico's church. TrendingPolitics identified the speaker as Rev. Babs Miller, "one of the ministers" at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, and stated Miller was ordained there in 2014. WND and WND News Center referred to Miller as Talarico's "parish minister." ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated reports mention that Rev. Dr. Jim Rigby has served as pastor for over 35 years, or that the church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The reports also do not mention that Miller was ordained in 2014 or that she has been part of the St. Andrew's community since the mid-1990s. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 100% (8) 0 of 8 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-09T22:15:36.363446+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-09T23:15:33.742Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - Right-rated reports focused on the remarks made by Rev. Babs Miller, a minister at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, concerning the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The reports highlighted Miller's statement that some congregants wished the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had been more successful than just nicking Trump's ear. Several outlets, including The Gateway Pundit and TrendingPolitics, quoted Miller saying, "We still have people in this church who wish that the young man had not just nicked his ear, but had been more successful." The reports also emphasised Miller's claim that the majority of congregants are agnostic or atheist. The Gateway Pundit drew a comparison to Reverend Jeremiah Wright and suggested Democrats frequently belong to such churches. TrendingPolitics noted that James Talarico, a Democratic Senate candidate and congregant, had not issued a public response to Miller's comments as of the report's publication. The Horn News stated Talarico was "caught in a nasty undercover video inside church." **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - low: 5 - mixed: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [TrendingPolitics](https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/talaricos-christian-persona-takes-major-hit-as-his-pastors-comments-are-unearthed-cmc) — Talarico's 'Christian' Persona Takes Major Hit As His Pastor's Comments Are Unearthed - [News Addicts](https://newsaddicts.com/reverends-remarks-undermine-talaricos-christian-image) — Reverend's Remarks Undermine Talarico's Christian Image - [WND](https://wnd.com/2026/09/watch-talaricos-parish-minister-says-congregation-wishes-trump) — Talarico’s ‘parish minister’ says congregation wishes Trump would-be assassin had been ‘more successful’ * WorldNetDaily * by WND Staff - [wndnewscenter.org](https://wndnewscenter.org/watch-talaricos-parish-minister-says-congregation-wishes-trump-would-be-assassin-had-been-more-successful) — Talarico’s ‘parish minister’ says congregation wishes Trump would-be assassin had been ‘more successful’ * WND News Center - [thehornnews.com](https://thehornnews.com/james-talarico-caught-in-nasty-undercover-video-inside-church) — James Talarico caught in nasty undercover video inside church –... - [Twitchy](https://twitchy.com/justmindy/2026/09/09/talarico-pastor-wishes-gunmen-was-more-successful-n2432149) — James Talarico’s Pastor: People in This Church Wish Trump’s Assassin ‘Had Been More Successful’ - [The Gateway Pundit](https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/pastor-james-talaricos-church-says-members-wish-trump) — SICK PEOPLE: Pastor at James Talarico’s Church Says Members Wish Trump Shooter in Butler, PA ‘Had Been More Successful’ * The Gateway Pundit * by Mike LaChance - [RedState](https://redstate.com/rusty-weiss/2026/09/09/meet-james-talaricos-pastor-problem-his-minister-says-members-wish-trumps-assassin-had-succeeded-n2206687) — Meet James Talarico’s Pastor Problem — His Minister Says Members Wish Trump’s Assassin Had Succeeded ## Questions **What did the minister say about congregants' wishes regarding the Trump assassination attempt?** Rev. Babs Miller, a minister at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, stated that some congregants wished the young man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump had been more successful. The remarks were captured on a hidden camera by Townhall Media and refer to Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot Trump in the ear in 2024. **What did the minister say about the congregants' religious beliefs?** Rev. Babs Miller indicated that most congregants at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church do not truly believe in Christian teachings. She stated that if polled, the majority would identify as agnostic or atheist rather than Christian. **Who is James Talarico?** James Talarico is a Democratic Party Senate candidate and a longtime congregant of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. He has cited the church and its pastor, Rev. Dr. Jim Rigby, as formative influences on his faith and political outlook. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/minister-says-some-congregants-wished-trump-assassin-more-successful. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Minister says some congregants wished Trump assassin more successful", https://mediabias.news/politics/minister-says-some-congregants-wished-trump-assassin-more-successful