EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance surprised reporters on Wednesday by trying to confront Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz on the tarmac when their planes landed here at the same time.
“I thought I’d come by to get a good look at the plane because it may be my plane in a few months, but I also thought people might be feeling lonely because the vice president hasn’t answered a reporter’s question in 17 days,” Vance told reporters during the campaign.
Speaking to reporters after approaching Air Force Two, Vance asked, “Have they explained to you why she’s not taking questions from reporters?”
The Ohio senator continued, “I want her to explain what she wants to do and why she’s changed every single one of her positions. She pretends to be a tough-on-crime prosecutor, but she wants to defund the police. She’s a border czar, but she opened up America’s southern border.”
“She is the one who has to answer questions from the media and it is a disgrace and an insult to the American people that she is running for office,” Vance concluded.
Since President Biden gave up reelection in July and endorsed Harris as his successor, Harris has given few public responses to reporters, but she speaks frequently privately with reporters on Air Force Two and answers questions on a range of topics, but has not allowed her answers to be published in the media.
Harris spoke to reporters for four minutes during a private interview on Air Force One on Tuesday afternoon.
The vice president and Waltz, the Minnesota governor whom Harris announced as her running mate on Tuesday, appeared to take off from the Eau Claire airport shortly before Vance approached Air Force Two.
Harris and Waltz posed for photos with Girl Scout members upon their arrival before traveling in a motorcade to a nearby rally site.
This is an ongoing story, please check back for future updates.
