An offhand remark made by Vice President JD Vance on a podcast is drawing a great deal of attention and discussion because it suggests that the so-called assassination attempt on Donald Trump during a 2020 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wasn’t actually an attempt on his life.
Speaking with podcaster Theo Von, Vance said this about Trump: “I mean, think about it. It’s a guy who, not even a year ago nearly took a bullet in the process of campaigning. Went back on the horse the next day.”
He then added, “And if you look, obviously I’m biased, but you look at what we’ve done on the border, you look at what we’ve done with trade, fighting back against a generation of theft of the American Dream, which is what the president’s trade policies are starting to do. I just think you’ve gotta have some respect for him and say, ‘Look, we don’t have to agree on every issue.’ I’m talking about if you’re Elon Musk. We don’t have to agree on every issue. But is this war actually in the interest of the country? I don’t think so.”
So was Trump actually struck by a bullet in the ear, the way he and others have portrayed what took place in Pennsylvania and may well have swung the election to Republicans? Or was it all just a giant ruse designed to draw attention and make Trump look like a tough guy?
As you’d expect, Vance’s comments set off a wave of discussion and speculation on social media.
