Republican officials are blaming incumbent President Joe Biden for the assassination attempt that targeted presidential candidate Donald Trump earlier during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

Senator JD Vance of Ohio took to X to directly slam Biden and his campaign, accusing them of triggering the shooting. 

According to Vance, "The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs," which represents a narrative that prompted the assassination attempt earlier today. 

Republican Representative Mike Collins also accused Biden of sending out the order for Trump's assassination, referring to a previous statement by the current president saying "It's time to put Trump in a bullseye." 

He also considered the bill to strip Trump of his Secret Service protection a sign of Biden's responsibility in the incident. 

Notice that after an attempted assassination of President Trump, the same people who wanted him prosecuted for telling his supporters to peacefully march to the capitol on January 6 are not calling for President Biden’s prosecution after he said it was time to put President Trump…

— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) July 14, 2024

Echoing his counterparts' accusations, Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also noted that the narrative Democrats have been running against Trump was a factor that contributed to the violence witnessed during the rally. 

"For weeks Democrat leaders have been fueling ludicrous hysteria that Donald Trump winning re-election would be the end of democracy in America. Clearly we’ve seen far left lunatics act on violent rhetoric in the past. This incendiary rhetoric must stop," Scalise said, before claiming that "This was clearly an assassination attempt." 

Trump's senior adviser, Stephen Miller, blamed the Democratic party for the events that unfolded at the Pennsylvania rally, saying "The entire campaign message of the Democrat Party has been the vile and monstrous lie that Trump and the GOP are trying to end democracy. This mammoth lie, this sinister poison, this terrible hate and defamation, must stop. It must stop," in a post on X. 

US Secret Service neutralize shooter

It is worth noting that the Pennsylvania shooting was the first assassination attempt against a US president since 1981 when former president Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded. 

Moments after the shooting, security personnel were able to evacuate Trump, who had been injured near his upper right ear. Blood could be seen running down the side of his head. 

The presidential candidate was transported to a local medical center for medical testing and treatment. His presidential campaign and entourage consequently confirmed that the former president was fine and healthy. 

Authorities immediately launched an investigation into the shooting and found that the "suspected shooter" carried out the attack from outside the venue. The shooter was then reportedly neutralized and consequently died. 

The Secret Service's statement revealed that a member of the audience was killed in the shooting, while two others were critically injured. 

The investigation is still pending, according to the statement. 

They got the guy. Footage of Trumps potential shooter being dragged out of the rally by police pic.twitter.com/xnXbCQud9p

— The Blonde Broker (@theblondebroker) July 13, 2024