Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) in an interview Sunday rejected concerns from senators on both sides of the aisle that he was the “wrong choice” to be former President Trump’s running mate, calling the criticism a “badge of honor.”
Speaking on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” host Maria Bartiromo pressed Vance to respond to criticism “from both the Democratic and Republican sides,” asking, “Some people say you were the wrong choice to be Trump’s running mate. What do you do about that?”
Vance chuckled to himself and said, “Look, I know there are a lot of people in the Republican mainstream and on the far left who aren’t happy that Donald Trump chose me.”
“I actually take their criticism as a badge of honor. Of course the media will attack the people they fear the most. I think they will attack the people who can most effectively communicate President Trump’s message to a broader base of voters.”
Vance, whose best-selling autobiography, “Hillbilly Elegy,” based its story on his childhood upbringing, dismissed concerns from the Republican establishment and said “ordinary” Americans would identify with his story.
“Malia, I’m not from Washington. I grew up poor, as you know. Not from a political family, not from a wealthy family. I graduated from college, I joined the Marines and eventually became Donald Trump’s running mate,” Vance said.
“I think this is a story that a lot of ordinary Americans can relate to. I’m not surprised that a lot of people in the Washington media hate me, but it’s their policies that are the problem. Of course they hate me because we’re trying to fix what they broke.”
