JD Vance Says He Went Home From Golf Course And 'Loaded All His Guns' After Trump Shooting
Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of gun violence that some readers may find distressing.
Former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13 at Butler Pennsylvania. He narrowly escaped with just a graze to his right ear. The lone gunman was taken down by the Secret Service on site. In a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the Republican leader's running mate J.D. Vance described the chaos after the news broke. In the three-hour episode, Vance recounted that he believed Trump had been assassinated and went into fight-or-flight mode. He remembered hearing the news at a mini-golf course in Cincinnati. The Ohio senator went on to reveal that he grabbed his kids and hurried home to 'load all' his firearms and "stand like a sentry at his front door."
“I thought, oh, my God, they just killed him,” he told Rogan. “First I was so pissed, but then I got into fight-or-flight mode with my kids.” According to HuffPost, Vance narrated, “I grab my kids up, throw them in the car, go home and load all my guns and basically stand like a sentry at our front door." At the time of the shooting, Vance was still under consideration as running mate and was not yet protected by the Secret Service. His candidacy was announced two days later, at the Republican National Convention.
Following the assassination attempt, Vance's neighbors informed Raw Story that there was increased protection outside his house. According to reports, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine approved more police to monitor the Republican politician's house. Secret Service agent, Joe Routh, also told the outlet in an emailed statement that the presidential and vice presidential candidates were protected round-the-clock. “For operational security reasons, the U.S. Secret Service does not discuss the specific means, methods, or costs associated with our protective responsibilities," the statement added.
JD Vance’s appearance on Joe Rogan totally changed my perception of him.
— Jordan Snyder (@EmperorSnyder) November 1, 2024
I wonder how many people like myself - who weren’t going to vote citing grievances with Trump - are now going to vote for Trump Vance exclusively because of the interviews on #JRE? @joerogan @JDVance pic.twitter.com/ICBVlI034T
As per Forbes, Vance also shared his suspicions about the attempts at his life. “I hope we win and then get to the bottom of it because I think somebody clearly screwed up,” he opined. The Ohio Senator also disclosed that although he had been in contact with Trump, at the time, over the vice presidential role, he was unaware that he would be picked.
WATCH @JDVance tell Joe Rogan the incredible story of how President Trump chose him as his VP:
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) October 31, 2024
“He told me that he was talking to the gardener at Mar-a-Lago about who the vice presidential nominee should be. And that’s one of Trump’s political genius is that he talks to… pic.twitter.com/EcBMSPLwAv
Vance's interview was yet another attempt by the Trump campaign to connect with the youth ahead of Election Day. It followed on the heels of the success of Trump's own candid conversation with Rogan. As per reports it raked in 42 million views on YouTube, making it his most popular episode. During his segment, Vance also discussed family values, his connection with billionaire Elon Musk, and contentious conspiracy theories about the pharmaceutical industry.
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