Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), who is former President Donald Trump’s running mate, was asked by a journalist in Phoenix, Arizona, what can be done to stop school shootings, and he called the shootings a “fact of life” notes The Associated Press:
“I don’t like that this is a fact of life,” Vance said. “But if you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets. And we have got to bolster security at our schools. We’ve got to bolster security so if a psycho wants to walk through the front door and kill a bunch of children they’re not able.”
Vance said he doesn’t like the idea of his own kids going to a school with hardened security, “but that’s increasingly the reality that we live in.”
Trump voters responded by denying Vance ever said it:
Let me walk you through this.@JDVance , talking about school shootings, says “I don’t like that this is a fact of life.”@AP writes the headline, JD Vance says school shootings are a 'fact of life'
— sean brett (@BaconKnight) September 6, 2024
This is what's called "disinformation" b/c it's 100% intentional pic.twitter.com/epLnAr1eBG
The Associated Press came out with a story claiming Vice Presidential Candidate, JD Vance, believes school shootings are a “fact of life”. This comes right after The Georgia Shooting Event.
— Sam Mitha (@MithaLaw) September 6, 2024
This, in fact, is NOT what JD Vance said about school shootings and this quote was taken… pic.twitter.com/qI74u20fyw
The Associated Press is putting out Associated Propaganda again, spinning what JD Vance said just enough to smear him…
— Jimmy Simmons (@ArticulateTHGHT) September 6, 2024
That's how so many of these journos function. They bake a fictitious cake and then sprinkle in just enough truth at the end to allow them to excuse their lack… pic.twitter.com/qpM4o3RCV3
NEW: The Associated Press deleted a badly misleading tweet about JD Vance after I called them out, and even changed the headline to make it fairer.
— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) September 6, 2024
But the misinformation spread like wildfire all over the Internet. How the press is failing us. https://t.co/9JwZbO9y8t
(Sources: The Associated Press, Twitter, Forbes Breaking News/YouTube)