As authorities identify and investigate the main suspect, Thomas Jacob Sanford, behind the deadly Michigan church shooting, speculations are growing about his political affiliation
According to many netizens, Thomas is speculated to have been a Trump supporter, based on his social media activity and records.
Did shooter Thomas Jacob Sanford leave behind a manifesto as social media profiles reveal he was a Donald Trump supporter
You aren't going to hear shit about Thomas Jacob Sanford shooting up a church. His house has a Trump / Vance sign. pic.twitter.com/wKZsRWA3jO
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) September 29, 2025
I am putting it out there for you all
If you think that the pic of Thomas Jacob Sanford with the "make liberals cry again" shirt is real, you are a literal retard and believe anything you are told or shown
It is shitty AI. The collar is open and empty because AI sucks. The… pic.twitter.com/Epl47yyIVj
— Dr. Kobe (@Kobe_1312) September 29, 2025
The recent attack has left the community reeling and sparked nationwide discussions about political extremism and religious violence.
Michigan Church shooting
On Sunday morning, September 28, a man named Thomas Sanford crashed his car into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township before opening fire on congregants. He killed four people and injured eight others, before setting the building on fire further intensifying the chaos. As of now, officials have not yet identified a clear motive, with the Michigan State Police stating during a press briefing:
“Any theories at this stage are exactly what they are—speculation. We will not jump to conclusions before the investigation is complete.”
Thomas Sanford’s political affiliation explored
As investigations continue, speculations about Sanford’s political beliefs have quickly spread online after his identity was released. According to public records, he was not formally affiliated with any political party. However, a 2019 photo showed Thomas Sanford wearing a Trump 2020 T-shirt with the slogan “Make Liberals Cry Again.” Moreover, June 2025 Google Maps images of Sanford’s home in Burton, Michigan, show a Trump campaign sign just outside the property. The findings have fueled online chatter, but despite these details, authorities have still not found any evidence linking Sanford’s political leanings to the church attack.
A ‘Trump–Vance’ yard sign was also seen outside his home and another photo shows the same truck, with two large American flags attached, parked at the scene of the crime.
Authorities are still digging into Sanford’s background to determine the exact motive behind the attack with no manifesto recovered yet. Investigators are currently searching his property, reviewing phone records, and examining his movements up to the final days leading up to the shooting. Homeland security expert Donell Harvin shared that the attack appeared methodical and calculated and described it as a “hybrid threat” that combined vehicle ramming, shooting, and arson.
Images from social media accounts linked to Sanford, show him posing with firearms and hunting trophies and in photos, he is seen alongside animals he shot while hunting.
Two days before the massacre at a Mormon church in Michigan, the mother of Thomas Jacob Sanford made a post on Facebook about someone in her life who refused to take “accountability” and who always “twists everything”.
Thomas Jacob Sanford told people that he believed Mormons were evil followers of the antichrist. Yet, the FBI is labeling the LDS attack as “targeted violence.”
That’s bullshit. It was an act of rightwing Christian extremism. Call it what it is, @FBI. pic.twitter.com/aTHQ2sygv8
— JΛKΣ (@USMCLiberal) September 30, 2025
Thomas Sanford’s wife and family: political affiliations
According to investigators and social media speculations, Thomas Sanford’s wife, Tella Sanford, and both of his parents frequently shared pro-Trump content on their social media accounts. A Facebook post that Tella shared from May 12, 2021, shows a political link with the hashtags #bringtrumpback and #whovotedforthis. Despite the family’s visible political support, law enforcement has not confirmed any direct connection between his family’s political affiliations and the shooting.
Thomas Jacob Sanford was a 40-year-old man who was born and raised in Burton, Michigan. He graduated from a local high school in 2004, and his classmates remembered him as a typical “country kid” who loved hunting geese, turkey, and deer. After completing high school, Sanford enlisted in the Marines and deployed to Iraq, where he worked in motor transport operations.
His parents are Thomas and Brenda-Walters Sanford. His grandfather served in the Navy and an uncle served in the Marines, both in World War II.
The suspect in the Mormon Church mass shooting in Michigan, Thomas Jacob Sanford and his family, appear to be MAGA and major Charlie Kirk supporters
— Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) September 28, 2025
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