SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
Now from the investigation of the shooting to the politics of the shooting and the blame game going on. Some Republicans said critiques by Democrats of Trump as a threat to democracy encouraged the violence. But that perspective doesn't sit well with some other Republicans. Heath Mayo founded Principles First, which calls itself a grassroots movement of conservatives concerned about Republican leadership, including and in other words Donald Trump. Heath Mayo, welcome back to the show.
HEATH MAYO: Thanks, Sacha. Glad to be here.
PFEIFFER: One of the Republicans who has made this claim is Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. He tweeted over the weekend essentially that the Biden administration, by portraying Trump as an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs, encouraged this assassination attempt. What were your thoughts when you read that?
MAYO: I mean, it's just unfortunate. I mean, it's irresponsible, obviously. We're still just learning today. We still don't even know all the facts about the shooter. And for a sitting senator to come out that quickly in the wake of such a tragic event to pin blame on another political party, it's just irresponsible and it doesn't fit for someone who sits as a United States senator. I think we should all kind of take a pause, take a moment, let the temperature come down a little bit and start to really understand who this person was and why they were acting, because from everything that we can tell so far, it looks to be just another sort of lone, disturbed young man that was sort of just acting out. We don't really know exactly why he did what he did yet.
PFEIFFER: So given the absence of information, what do you think is the right kind of response, whether you're Republican or you're Democrat?
MAYO: Look, I mean, regardless of whether you're Republican or Democrat, now is a time to, you know, come together, reflect on where we are as a country. Obviously, the tenor of this election is - you know, it is amped up. People are frustrated. People are on edge. And it's a moment to come together, to unite, to watch how we speak to each other in the context of this campaign. But it isn't a time to, you know, go out there and tweet that Joe Biden sent in the orders for this thing. I mean, that's just unhinged a little bit and beyond the pale.
PFEIFFER: Over the weekend, Donald Trump tweeted that this should be a moment of unity for Americans. And how the Trump campaign comports itself for the rest of the election will set the tone very much for the election. What do you expect to see from the Trump campaign and hope to see?
MAYO: Well, what do I expect to see? I think pattern and practice does not make me very hopeful about how long they're going to be able to maintain a message of unity and hope. I think what we've seen so far out of the Trump campaign since the incident has been encouraging. I mean, first lady Melania Trump came out. She had a great statement about what had occurred, focusing on unity, bringing the country's focus on the victims and on bringing us together. I think President Trump also issued a strong and constructive statement. I hope that, you know, they can remain disciplined in that way and really use this moment to lift the country's sides, bring us together. It'd be interesting if perhaps President Biden and Donald Trump were to issue some kind of a joint statement to the country. I think this is a real moment and opportunity for them to really step up and lead the country in that way.
PFEIFFER: That's Heath Mayo, the founder of Principles First. It's a self-described grassroots movement of conservatives concerned about their current leadership. Heath, thank you for coming on.
MAYO: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF KANISAN AND LOST ECHOES' "YUNA") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
