As politicians, businessmen, and Hollywood celebrities alike take to social media to condemn Saturday’s near-fatal attack on President Trump, an unlikely voice emerges in the din: John Hinckley Jr. — the man who tried to assassinate President Reagan in 1981. 

“Violence is not the way to go. Give peace a chance,” Mr. Hinckley posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday afternoon.

Although he doesn’t explicitly mention Trump, viewers have interpreted his comment as a response to Saturday’s attack against the former president. 

Mr. Hinckley is best known for attempting to kill Reagan just two months after his inauguration. As Reagan was leaving the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., Hinckley ambushed the president and fired six shots, injuring several individuals at the scene, including the president. 

Hinckley allegedly carried out the attack in a bid to impress American actress Jodie Foster, who he had become obsessed with after viewing her in a Martin Scorsese film, Taxi Driver. 

“The reason I’m going ahead with this attempt now is because I cannot wait any longer to impress you,” he wrote in a letter to Ms. Foster the morning of the attack. 

Mr. Hinckley was released in June 2022 and said in an interview in March that he was turning his life around, noting “I had a lot of therapy.” 

His message on X — which has amassed 1.5 million views and counting — was received by disbelieving users. 

“John Hinckley? The advocate for peace?” one user asked.  “Peaceful fella went by the name JOHN HINCKLEY! Huh! And it says here he… hold the fort,” another user quipped. 

Another: “Please let Jodie Foster retweet this.”