Ohio Sen. JD Vance, a top VP contender, blames Trump shooting on Biden 'rhetoric'

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a possible Republican vice presidential pick, quickly pinned blame on President Joe Biden's campaign following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania.

"Today is not just some isolated incident," Vance posted on X about two hours after the 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."

One person was killed and two others critically injured after someone fired shots from outside Trump's rally in Butler, about 40 miles from the Ohio border, according to the Secret Service. The former president raised his fist as agents took him off stage, blood visible on the side of his face.

Trump later said he was shot. A statement from the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee said he’s “doing well and grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their fast action.”

The suspected shooter is dead. Authorities are investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt, the Associated Press reported.

"There's no place in America for this kind of violence," Biden said Saturday. "It's sick. It's one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this."

The shooting came one day before Republicans are expected to descend on Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. Vance is one of the leading contenders for Trump's vice-presidential running mate, and the former president was expected to announce his pick in the coming days.

More on Vance:Vice Presidential hopeful JD Vance has multiple ties to Columbus, has called it home

"You'll make a perfect Trump VP. Shame on you," former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh posted on X, calling Vance's comments "disgusting."

On NBC's Meet the Press Sunday morning, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, was asked about Vance's comments.

"Let's just today be grateful that our former president, political nominee survived an assassination attempt," Graham said. "I don't want to go down that road right now."

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.