‘Political violence has no place’: Ohio politicians offer thoughts following Trump rally shooting

(WJW) — Following what’s being called an apparent assassination attempt at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon, politicians from Ohio are offering their thoughts and prayers for the former president and those involved in the incident that left at least two dead and multiple injured.

The Secret Service was able to whisk Trump away quickly from the Butler, Pennsylvania, stage, but it appeared he did have some blood on his ear. Later, his staff said Trump was “fine” but being treated by medical professionals.

Trump later confirmed in a post on Truth Social that he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who is part of the conversation to be Trump’s vice president nominee pick, quickly took to X to express his concerns for the former president’s health:

“Everyone join me in praying for our President Trump and everyone at that rally. I hope everyone is ok,” he said in a post .

He later extended his comments to what he believed was behind the attempt on the former president’s life: “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Ohio’s other Senator, Sherrod Brown, said in a post that he and his wife Connie Schultz were relieved to hear that Trump was safe and that they were praying.

“We’re grateful to the law enforcement who responded immediately,” Brown said. “Political violence is completely unacceptable and has no place in our democracy.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also posted : “Fran and I are praying for President Trump, his family, and our country.”

Cleveland’s mayor Justin Bibb, too, said that “political violence has no place in this country — today’s events are horrifying. Praying for President Trump and all who were at the rally in Butler, PA.”

The suspected gunman and one other person in attendance at the rally were confirmed dead by a local prosecutor. The Secret Service also confirmed two spectators were critically injured in the shooting.

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