SPARTA, Mich. — Just two days after a thwarted assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump rocked a campaign that had already faced political violence, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio said it's time for everyone — but namely Democratic politicians and campaigns — to check their rhetoric ahead of the Nov. 5 election before further violence takes place.
Vance, Trump's running mate on the Republican presidential ticket, spoke to supporters in Michigan Tuesday afternoon about the latest assassination attempt on Trump. The former president was at Trump International Golf Club in Florida Sunday afternoon when Secret Service agents walking the course ahead of him spotted a gun barrel in bushes. Agents opened fire, causing the suspect to flee before he was arrested later that day.
"Two assassination attempts in as many months, and I think that it's time to say to the Democrats, to the media, to everybody who's been attacking this man and trying to censor this man for going on ten years, cut it out or you're going to get somebody killed," Vance said at a campaign event in west Michigan.
Suspect Ryan Routh , who appeared in federal court Monday, never fired a shot, authorities said. He was being held on charges of possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, USA Today reported .
The events Sunday marked the second time Trump has faced an assassination attempt this year — in July, a gunman fired at Trump , grazing him on the ear, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. It also intensified scrutiny on the Secret Service, which was already facing questions about how a person with a gun could get so close to Trump in light of the Pennsylvania shooting.
A White House official said Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump Tuesday to express directly to him that she is grateful that he is safe. The conversation was cordial and brief, the official said.
Vance called for Trump to have the same level of security detail as President Joe Biden, telling supporters that "assassinations destroy the social fabric of this country." Biden said Monday that the Secret Service needed more resources , and he encouraged Congress to provide them.
Vance said he felt comfortable with the level of security detail he personally receives on the campaign trail, but reiterated a need for less heated rhetoric while campaigning.
"We want to make it so we cut out the ridiculous rhetoric that I think has put a giant target on Donald Trump's back," he said. "All of us, whether we're Republicans, Democrats, or anything else, all of us can do a better job at showing respect and trying to debate our differences without going into personal attacks."
He said mainstream media has "both sided" the assassination attempts against Trump.
"Do I think the rhetoric is all one-sided? Of course not, there are absolutely people on our side who say things that I think are ridiculous and they shouldn't say," Vance said. "But what is one-sided is that our guy is the one who keeps getting shot at. That's what's one-sided.
"If people had taken an attempt on Kamala Harris' life, I would be looking in the mirror and saying 'how can we do a lot better?' But here we are, two people have now tried to assassinate Donald Trump, and all the media can talk about is we need more censorship? And they're still talking about Donald Trump like he's a threat that needs to be eliminated? They haven't learned a damn thing, and they're going to get somebody killed."
Vance was delivering remarks to a few hundred supporters in Sparta, a community of about 4,200 residents around ten miles north of Grand Rapids.
It was Vance's first public campaign event since the Sunday assassination attempt. Trump also was slated to be in Michigan later Tuesday to hold a town hall discussion in Flint , also his first public campaign event since the most-recent assassination attempt.
Vance delivered remarks and took questions from local media in a program that lasted around 45 minutes.
Presidential campaigns have routinely visited Michigan in recent weeks and months, as the state is once again expected to be a key battleground to decide who wins the presidential election between Harris and Trump this November. Opinion polling of voters in Michigan currently shows a near deadlock between Trump and Harris — the RealClearPolling average has Harris leading by 0.7 percentage points.
Sparta is also located in Kent County, which once represented a reliable Republican stronghold but has become increasingly competitive in recent presidential elections . Top-of-ticket Democrats have carried the county in statewide elections dating back to 2018, but Trump won Kent County in his first presidential run in 2016 when he went on to win Michigan.
Along with his comments on the assassination attempt against Trump, Vance continued to criticize Harris for inflation and crossings at the U.S. southern border with Mexico. The topics have been repeatedly raised by Republicans ahead of the fall election.
The Harris campaign derided Vance's visit to Michigan on Tuesday, and noted that Vance was among the Republican senators who voted against a bill that would have allocated additional resources to border security. The campaign issued a statement from U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, saying in part "The only candidate in this race who understands working families is Vice President Harris, who has a plan to lower costs, bring good-paying manufacturing jobs back home, and ensure Michigan workers continue to lead the world in auto manufacturing."
Harris is expected to be in Michigan this week , as well, joining TV host Oprah Winfrey for a livestreamed broadcast from Michigan Thursday evening.
USA TODAY contributed.
Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Rhetoric 'put a giant target' on Trump, Vance says after second assassination attempt
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