'Praying for President Trump': Cincinnati-area politicians react after shooting at rally

Cincinnati-area Republicans and Democrats offered prayers for former President Donald Trump after he was rushed off the stage after a shooting during a campaign rally Saturday in Pennsylvania.

The shooting is being investigated as an assassination attempt, CNN, the Associated Press and other outlets reported.

Trump was speaking to supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, when a shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage "from an elevated position, the Secret Service said in a statement. Secret Service agents escorted Trump, who appeared to have blood on his ear and cheek, off the stage.

A Trump spokesperson confirmed in a statement that the former president is "fine" but was seeing doctors at a local medical facility. The suspected shooter and one other person died in the shooting and two other spectators were critically injured, the Secret Service said in a statement.

Trump said in a statement he was "shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear."

Sen. J.D. Vance, an East Walnut Hills Republican, shared on X a photo of Trump pumping his fist while being escorted off the stage by Secret Service agents.

"Everyone join me in praying for our President Trump and everyone at that rally," he posted on X. "I hope everyone is OK."

Rep. Warren Davidson, a Troy Republican, urged prayers for Trump and everyone hurt in the incident, and to "find all of these evil bastards who tried to kill him."

"Praying for President Trump and everyone at this rally," Alex Triantafilou, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Democrats also urged peace and prayers

Democrats also offered sympathy and urged peace. Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman, of Mount Washington, said "violence is never, ever the answer."

"Let’s pray that everyone is OK," he said on X. "No matter what we learn, we’ll only get through this together."

Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland, also offered prayers in a post on X.

"We are praying for the health and safety of President Trump, his family, and all those attending the rally in Butler, PA tonight," Brown posted.

Vance blames Biden for rhetoric

While members of both parties offered sympathy, it didn't take long for fingers to be pointed.

Vance, in another post of X, blamed Democrats, specifically President Joe Biden's campaign, for the environment that led to the shooting. Vance is on the shortlist of possible vice presidential candidates on Trump's ticket.

"Today is not just some isolated incident," Vance posted on Twitter. "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."

Delegates bracing for tense Republican National Convention

The shooting happened two days before the start of the Republican National Convention where Republicans will nominate Trump for president. Delegates from the Cincinnati region traveling there told The Enquirer they expect heightened security.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones, an ardent Trump supporter and delegate, said he expects what happened at the Trump rally will unify Republicans at the convention.

"I think it might bring some people together," Jones said. "Nobody wants this. I don't care what party you are. But imagine if they would, if an assassin would have killed him. What happens? What happens to our country? What happens to our democracy?"

He said he expects a tense and passionate convention.

"People will be so angry that their candidate, the person they're there to support, has been shot," Jones said. "If that's all accurate, that he's been shot, they've attempted to kill him and to disrupt him and their candidate. The momentum will be unbelievable."

Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman Russell Mock will also travel to Milwaukee as an alternate delegate.

“I am angry,” Mock told The Enquirer. “I am in shock for this country. The sad thing is there will be people who think this is great. I would never think that about Joe Biden.”

The climate is too divisive, he said.

“Everyone has to take their foot off the accelerator and reset,” Mock said. “I am surprised this hasn’t happened before.”

Other reactions include:

Wenstrup reminded of 2017 shooting

When U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup saw footage of Trump bleeding on stage, it took him back to 2017 when a gunman opened fire while he and a group of fellow Republican lawmakers were practicing for a charity baseball game. He lived through it then, acting as rescuer.

“What is going on in our county?” said Wenstrup, who is not running for reelection. “Why is there so much hatred? I just told my wife, ‘I was five when Kennedy was shot. Who are these sick people? Why can’t we have some civility?’ It’s unfortunate in a country where we’re allowed to have freedom of voice and opinion, that it comes to violence.”

Amy Murray: 'Politicians put their lives on the line every day'

Former Cincinnati City Councilwoman Amy Murray, who left her seat in 2020 to work for the Trump administration as director of small business programs for the U.S. Department of Defense, was stunned as the news was breaking Saturday evening.

“This is tragic. Politicians put their lives on the line every day. You never want to see this happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime,” Murray said. “You want people to get involved in politics, but it’s a big risk to take for them and their families. This shows that. President Trump and his family are in in my prayers right now.”

Kasich: 'It's a horrible development'

Former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has been critical of Trump in the past, decried what happened at the rally.

"What a terrible situation that a former president and potentially the next president of the United States has been shot," Kasich posted on X. "It's a horrible development. Let's pray that he has escaped any serious injury."

This story will be updated.

USA TODAY contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: J.D. Vance, other Cincinnati politicians react to Trump rally shooting