Kinzinger says JD Vance’s response to shooting should ‘disqualify’ him from VP consideration

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Sunday Sen. JD Vance’s (R-Ohio) response to the attempted assassination of former President Trump should “disqualify” him from serving as vice president.

Vance, a contender for Trump’s choice of running mate, said in a social media post on Saturday that the shooting was “not some isolated incident” and suggested President Biden’s campaign was, at least in part, at fault.

“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance said on the social platform X. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

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Kinzinger — a former GOP member of Congress who became a frequent Trump critic — responded to Vance’s post, saying, “This should absolutely disqualify @JDVance1 from VP.”

Vance’s statement came just hours after Trump was whisked off the stage of his Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, after Trump appeared to be wounded in what authorities are calling an assassination attempt.

At the time of Vance’s statement, there was no public reporting on the motive of the shooter or the details surrounding the incident.

Republicans and Democrats alike have called for decreasing the temperature of political rhetoric.

President Biden ordered a full review of the security for Trump’s Saturday rally and to assess security in place for the Republican National Convention this week in Milwaukee.

The Hill has reached out to Vance’s campaign for a response.