Sophia Nelson, a law school friend of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), claims the vice presidential nominee has changed his mind on “every issue imaginable.”
Nelson spoke with CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday about why she recently received years-old text messages and emails from Vance, who she said was former President Trump’s running mate, is not someone she knows.
“What I’ve seen is a chameleon, someone who is able to change his positions and his values in order to amass political power and wealth,” Nelson said. “It reflects a lack of integrity and it’s really unfortunate.”
“This isn’t someone who has changed their opinion on one or two issues or new information; this is someone who has changed their opinion on literally every issue imaginable that affects everyday Americans in this country,” she continued.
Vance has faced persistent skepticism within the Republican Party for his past criticism of Trump and, more recently, his criticism of childfree Democrats.
Nelson recounted his past interactions with Vance: The New York TimesThe emails and text messages, which mostly date from 2014 to 2017, criticize Trump as a “racist” and call him a “morally reprehensible human being.”
Nelson, who is transgender, said Vance supported her transition, including bringing her homemade baked goods.
After publishing “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance emailed Nelson to tell her that the book portrayed her as a lesbian, but acknowledged that “this may not accurately reflect how Ms. Nelson sees herself,” and apologized.
The Times reported that the friends had a falling out in 2021 after Vance supported Arkansas’ ban on gender-reassignment care for minors.
“J.D. Vance, my friend for over 10 years, was a caring man with whom we often disagreed, and that was reflected in the emails. But he always approached our conversations with respect and kindness, and I think that’s very important,” Nelson said.
She said she saw a change when Vance decided to run for Senate in 2022 and took on a “similar persona” to Trump.
“It showed up in his Twitter feed, it showed up obviously in his cat-loving comments, and it showed up in his relationships when our friendship ended,” Nelson said. “He became divisive, negative and cruel in the way he spoke to people who were different from him. That’s not the man I knew.”
