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Lucas County residents react to attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump

Two days after an attempted assassination at a Trump rally, all eyes are still on Butler, Pennsylvania, and people here in Lucas County have opinions.

LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — The coffee is hot and the guests are hungry. It's breakfast time at Dino's Diner in Maumee. 

The local eatery might be 237 miles away from Butler, Pennsylvania, but like many in America, guests there were still processing the attempted assassination of a former president.

"I watched it happen live. I cried," Vickie Fugate said.

"I was heartbroken obviously," Roger Kwapich said, "And I was so glad it just grazed his ear instead of some other place."

"[I'm] just horrified," Jan Pollack said.

These Republican voters said they feel a strange mixture of fear at the state of our nation and then pride in former President Trump for how he handled the attempt on his life.

"He's a warrior. When I see that fist pump and I saw him say, 'Fight,' I said 'That's what we need right now,'" Fugate said.

All three said they blame the current state of political rhetoric for this escalation, especially from the left.

"Calling him a dictator, putting him in court," Fugate said.

"Republicans criticize, democrats want to do more," Kwapich said.

While some people who don't support Trump were present inside the diner, they all declined to go on camera. One group was too angry to speak and others expressed fears of retaliation.

WTOL 11 went into downtown Toledo to find some left-leaning voters willing to give their take on what happened on Saturday, encountering a pair of lawyers, Jake Sadilek and Tom Goodwin, and they agreed this was a disturbing episode in American history.

"I think it should be to everyone regardless of politics," Sadilek said.

But they say the right's critique of dangerous rhetoric is entirely misplaced.

"When I look at the news I see a lot less violent rhetoric coming from Democrats than I do from Republicans," Goodwin said. "And it shouldn't come from anybody."

Both sides WTOL 11 spoke to agree that this attempt on the former president's life will become a defining moment of this election, and some even believe it might have already secured him a win in November.

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