Standing on the very stage where his running mate narrowly avoided death, Republican vice presidential hopeful JD Vance admonished former President Donald Trump’s critics for stoking animosity against him.
Vance, 40, called out Vice President Kamala Harris by name as well as the media for trafficking in “inflammatory rhetoric” against Trump that he contended has culminated in political violence.
“With all the hatred they have spewed against President Trump, it was only a matter of time before somebody tried to kill him,” Vance bellowed out to a packed venue at the Butler Farm Show grounds Saturday.
With bulletproof glass shielding him, Vance lamented how the onslaught against Trump, 78, has raged on — even in the aftermath of two high-profile attempts on the former president’s life.
“Even after that terrible assassination attempt that took one man’s life and nearly took many others, they continue to use dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric. The media has continued to call Donald Trump — the guy who actually won his primary — a threat to democracy,” Vance bemoaned.
The precise motivations behind the July 13 Butler, Pa., shooter, Matthew Thomas Crooks, 20, are still somewhat murky because he was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
But authorities managed to detain Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, who attempted to carry out the second major would-be assassination attempt against Trump on Sept. 15. Because of that, they’ve been able to piece together a clearer picture of his motivations.
“In fact, before the gunman in Florida tried to kill Donald Trump, he wrote, ‘Democracy is on the ballot,’ the exact same words that Kamala Harris wrote after accusing Trump of being a dictator only days before the first attempt on his life,” Vance chided.
Earlier in his speech, which was intended to warm up the crowd before Trump took to the podium, Vance slammed Harris over that rhetoric.
“I think you all will join me in saying to Kamala Harris, how dare you talk about threats to democracy. Donald Trump took a bullet for democracy. What the hell have you done?” he said.
Vance also gave his running mate props, noting how “despite being shot here in Butler, President Trump immediately called for national unity.”
Trump had adjusted his speech for the Republican National Convention to call for unity, but as the 2024 campaign season carried on, the two rival campaigns resumed hurling bitter broadsides at one another.
“I honestly believe that what happened right here in Butler is a metaphor for the United States of America. In this land, we may get knocked down, but we get right back up, and we keep fighting,” Vance said.
On July 13, Trump had been clipped in his right ear by a bullet and crouched down before Secret Service agents piled on top of him to keep him safe.
After the gunshots stopped, Trump emerged standing with blood seeping down his face and pumped his fist in the air, telling his supporters to “fight, fight fight” before being rushed away.
Shortly thereafter, Trump made clear he intended to visit the Butler Farm Show grounds again and finish what he started.
“At this exact spot nearly three months ago, we thought, President Trump was going to lose his life. But God still has a plan for him just like he still has a plan for the United States of America,” Vance later added.
Saturday, which happens to be exactly one month out from Election Day will mark Trump’s first return to Butler, Pa. since the tragic shooting that took place in July.
He vows to hit the campaign trail “almost every single day” in the lead-up to Nov. 5, The Post exclusively revealed Saturday.
