CNN
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J.D. Vance on Monday blamed liberal rhetoric for the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump over the weekend.
“I know it’s often said in many corners of the left that there are problems on both sides. I’m not saying we’re perfect all the time, I’m not saying conservatives always get things right, but the big difference between conservatives and liberals is that no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last few months, but there have been two people who have tried to kill Donald Trump,” the Republican vice presidential nominee said at the Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition dinner in Atlanta.
“I would say this is strong evidence that the left needs to tone down the rhetoric and stop saying this nonsense,” he continued.
Vance vowed to “do his part” to soften the rhetoric, saying he was speaking specifically to those who say Trump needs to be “removed.”
“Someone is going to get hurt, it’s going to ruin this country. Someone is going to get hurt. And I promise you I’ll do my part to tone it down, given how deeply hurtful that would be to America, to all of us,” Vance said. “But especially those of you who are saying we need to get rid of Donald Trump. You’ve got to stop that, or someone is going to get hurt.”
Trump acknowledged speaking by phone with President Joe Biden early Monday morning, saying in a statement that the two had a “very good call” and discussed Secret Service protection.
Biden told reporters on Monday that he hoped Congress would give the Secret Service “further support” in the wake of the incident, and expressed relief that Trump was safe during the call, which a White House spokesman described as a “cordial conversation.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also said Sunday she was grateful that President Trump was safe. “As the facts gather, I will speak clearly: I condemn political violence, and we must all do our part to ensure this does not lead to further violence,” Harris said.
On Monday morning, Elon Musk deleted an X post that questioned why President Trump has had two assassination attempts in recent months while Biden and Harris have not had any. Musk initially refused multiple requests to remove the post on Sunday night. X’s owner later claimed it was a joke.
The White House called the comments “irresponsible” and said violence “should never be encouraged or joked about.”
The Secret Service said it had reviewed Musk’s deleted post, and an agency spokesman declined to comment directly on it but said the agency investigates all threats against the president and vice president.
“The United States Secret Service is aware of Elon Musk’s social media posts and, as a practice, we do not comment on matters involving protected information,” a Secret Service spokesperson told CNN. “However, we can say that the Secret Service investigates all threats related to protected individuals.”
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said Secret Service agents fired shots at a suspect on Sunday who authorities said was within 500 yards of Trump.
Bradshaw said the suspect did not fire any shots and then fled in a vehicle, and the Secret Service later said he had not seen the former president.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged with possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number in connection with the incident and appeared in federal court Monday morning.
The investigation into Sunday’s assassination attempt on President Trump remains ongoing and additional charges may be filed, a law enforcement official familiar with the matter told CNN. The initial gun-related charges were filed as prosecutors seek to keep Routh in custody while authorities continue to investigate the incident.
CNN’s Dave Goldman, Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, Michael Williams and Devan Cole contributed to this report.