J.D. Vance blames the political left’s rhetoric for planned attacks targeting the UFC event

Vice President J.D. Vance responded Tuesday to reports that law enforcement officials disrupted planned attacks intended to target the UFC cage-fighting event held at the White House last weekend in celebration of President Donald Trump’s birthday.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Tuesday that multiple individuals are in custody in connection with the incident.

The nature of the potential threat was not immediately disclosed, with additional details expected to be released once charges are unsealed later Tuesday.

Vance said on Fox & Friends he learned about the thwarted plot Tuesday morning.

Vance did not lay out details about what happened but blamed the political left for its rhetoric.

“This is very, very dark stuff,” he said. “This is what happens when people turn the rhetoric up so loud that disagreeing with somebody is a cause for violence.” He added: “You see more political violence and violent rhetoric coming from the left than the right these days. Everybody has a role to cut this stuff out.”

Five people were arrested from states including Ohio, Missouri, and California, said a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss information that was not yet public.

The FBI learned about the possible threat on June 10, four days before the mixed martial arts extravaganza on the White House’s South Lawn, “and thanks to the rapid action of the FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” Patel said in a post on X on Tuesday morning.

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The Secret Service “worked around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them accountable,” Director Sean Curran said in a separate statement.

Trump, who celebrated his 80th birthday at the UFC event on Sunday, sought to tie the fights to larger celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Évian-les-Bains, France, where he was attending the Group of Seven summit, Trump said he had not been briefed on the thwarted plot.