Sen. George Lang, R-Ohio, said at a Trump Vance 2024 rally on Monday that he was “fearful” a civil war might be necessary if Republicans lose the November election, but later walked back his remarks.
“I truly believe that Donald Trump and Butler County’s J.D. Vance represent our last chance politically to save our country,” Lang said at a rally in Middletown, Ohio, the hometown of Vance, a first-term senator and Republican vice presidential nominee.
“If we lose this, it will take a civil war to save the country, but the country will be saved. This is the greatest experiment in the history of mankind, and if it does become a civil war, I’m glad we have people like Bikers for Trump on our side,” he continued.
Lang posted on social media shortly after the rally,He retracted his statement.“It doesn’t accurately reflect my views,” he said.
“I regret the controversial comments I made while onstage in the heat of the moment,” Lang continued in a post on social platform X. “We all, including myself, should be careful with what we say at political events, especially in light of the assassination attempt on President Trump last week.”
Authorities have been expressing concern for months about the risk of political violence surrounding the 2024 presidential election, concerns that culminated this month with the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
Republican candidate Trump and many of his prominent supporters have refused to commit to accepting the election’s outcome, whatever it may be. Instead, they have said they are confident of victory and have avoided mentioning a hypothetical defeat.
Leaders of both parties have called for a restraint in political rhetoric following the assassination attempt on President Trump.
Lang spoke ahead of headliner Vance, who made his first solo campaign appearance as Trump’s running mate at a rally at an Ohio high school. The two candidates appeared together at an event in Michigan on Saturday.
Vance is scheduled to travel to Virginia later Monday to hold a second event in Radford.
Updated 5:06 p.m.
