Following the assassination attempt of former President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, North Carolina Republican US Sen. Thom Tillis said during a virtual press conference Monday afternoon that the Republican Party needs to be the party to set aside the rhetoric, start calming the nerves of the American people, get the nation back on track, and lead by example.

Trump announced Monday his selection of US Senator from Ohio, J.D. Vance, as his running mate in the 2024.

Tillis said he will be heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Tuesday for the Republican National Convention after clearing his calendar for the rest of the week, including a Wednesday appearance in Wilmington to discuss the US Department of Transportation’s $242 million grant for the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.

“I think that the party that focuses on optimism, certainty, and confidence is the party that wins in November, and I believe that party is going to be the Republican Party coming out of the convention,” he told reporters.

Tillis said he had no qualms about safety at the convention, calling it one of the safest places in the US after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left Trump a grazed his right ear. One bystander was killed and two others injured.

When asked if he had faith that politicians on both sides of the aisle would calm down when it comes to attacking each other, Tillis said that it is up to each party to police themselves, adding that he feels bad for the everyday person who is trying to make a living to pay their bills.

“They’re being misled by these people by some of their characterizations, so I believe that every single elected official and, for every Republican that you could cite making some ridiculous comment, I could find at least one Democrat doing the same thing,” he said. “We just saw a congressman today fire somebody on his staff because his staff said next time, don’t miss [the shot on Trump]. That kind of garbage has to end.”

The Senator said, if his colleagues can only get people’s attention with that kind of rhetoric, they should really rethink whether or not they should be in public service.

Tillis, like most, has said there is no place for violence in American democracy, one of the oldest and successful in the history of the world because it has been founded on peaceful transitions of power.

He has been a member of the Judiciary Committee for the past decade. Tillis said they are the committee that should investigate what went wrong in Pennsylvania.

Last week, Tillis, alongside nine of his Republican Senate Judiciary Committee colleagues, sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-IL requesting the committee hold a hearing on the circumstances that led to the attempted assassination of President Trump.

He said that based on news reports, the building where shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was found had been cleared. Tillis said he plans to ask why it didn’t continue to be secure in an oversight hearing.

“Who was responsible exactly?” asked Tillis. “What were the orders for the counter-sniper operations that existed in events like this presidential and candidate event? Let’s go through all the mechanics and figure out where the failure occurred.”

He said somebody made a huge mistake not heeding the advice of multiple witnesses, who said there was someone on the building, and there is no tolerance for the failure. Those responsible need to go, he said.

“You don’t get a pass when lives have been lost, and the life of a former president and candidate for president came close to being lost on Saturday,” Tillis said. “It’s just unacceptable.”

Tillis was asked if the assassination attempt would have any effect on the presidential race. While he said that he doesn’t know if it improves his chances, Trump was already well on a path to winning in November. Many on the Democratic side of the aisle think so as well, Tillis added, given loss of confidence since the debate between Trump and President Joe Biden.

Tillis did say, however, that the way Trump reacted after being shot was remarkable.

“To have the presence of mind to get up after multiple shots were fired,” he said, “To raise his fist and say ‘fight,’ I think, demonstrates somebody who is trying to calm the nerves of people and instill confidence in his supporters, and I was glad to see him do that.”