COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State Highway Patrol is providing security for Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance after former President Donald Trump survived an apparent assassination attempt Saturday.
CLICK HERE to read the latest updates on the attempted assassination.
We were the first to report that the U.S. Senator was getting the detail ahead of the Republican National Convention, giving further insight into the possibility that Vance would get the nomination.
Gov. Mike DeWine "approved" a request for security Saturday at 6:40 p.m., according to the governor's spokesperson, Dan Tierney. Vance lives in the Cincinnati area, so troopers are monitoring his home.
When asked who requested the details, Tierney responded that he couldn't comment further. OSHP also couldn't elaborate.
"For safety reasons, the Patrol does not discuss specific details related to security operations," Lt. Ray Santiago said.
RELATED: A buckeye on the ballot: Trump selects Ohio Sen. JD Vance as vice presidential running mate
"When you're a person like Senator Vance or former President Trump or anybody running for office, you're not really looking around to be aware of your situation as much as you might should," Fraternal Order of Police President Gary Wolske said.
Wolske says it's better to be proactive than reactive when it comes to safety.
"Knowing that he has protection, if there is another nut out there or a mentally ill person out there that wants to do some harm to a politician or a candidate, they'll think twice," he added.
State Rep. Tom Young (R-Washington Township) said he is glad the state is providing it.
"I would want the same thing," Young said. "You have a high profile situation and and your name is in the paper and you have a family — that's what people forget about politics — they have a family."
Since details are still coming out about the alleged shooter, it is better to be safe than sorry, he said.
"The bad guy only has to be right once," Wolske said. "The security has to be right all the time."
Now that Vance has the nomination, Wolske said the Secret Service would likely start providing additional security for him.
Recap
Trump was shot in the ear but said he was doing fine during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. One person in the crowd was killed, and two other people are in critical condition, according to the Butler County District Attorney.
The violence comes just a day before the Republican National Convention is set to begin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Our Scripps News political team is in Milwaukee and reports security is being ramped up inside the Fiserv Forum, an arena in Downtown Milwaukee where the RNC is set to take place starting this week.
Authorities say 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was responsible for the attack. The Associated Press reported that law enforcement said they found bomb-making materials in the suspect's vehicle and home, located in a suburb outside of Pittsburgh about an hour away from where the rally took place.
Vance blamed President Joe Biden for the attempted assassination, writing on X:
"Today is not just some isolated incident. 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."
President Joe Biden addressed America and the world from the Oval Office Sunday night stating that violence is never the answer and we must heal together as a country.
RELATED: Biden calls for America to come together after Trump assassination attempt
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