In the days after the horrific effort to assassinate Donald Trump, MAGA figures have widely sought to exploit this moment of national crisis, by arguing that Democrats invited or even encouraged the shooting. The leading proponent of this absurd claim is Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, and on Tuesday, Trump announced that Vance will be his running mate. We talked to Alex Shephard, a senior editor at The New Republic and author of a great piece on this new MAGA agitprop, about why the Vance pick—and other assorted signs—suggests that the politics around the shooting are going to get a lot more poisonous. Listen to this episode here.
PODCAST
MAGA’s Shameless Bid to Exploit Trump Shooting Takes a Darker Turn
With Trump picking J.D. Vance as his running mate, a political writer argues that this choice, and some other signs, suggests the politics around the assassination attempt will get a lot uglier.
![Senator J.D. Vance speaks at a lectern and gestures with his hand](http://images.newrepublic.com/45b9a8c9e660d85ba8c73fb7787168d5afc783d0.jpeg?auto=format&fit=crop&crop=faces&q=65&w=1000&h=undefined&ar=3%3A2&ixlib=react-9.0.2&w=1000)
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Senator J.D. Vance in Washington, D.C. on May 22