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Exclusive: BYRON CENTER, Mich. — Donald Trump’s running mate has an answer to the blunt advice from allies and fellow Republicans that he should stick to his policies and message, rather than questioning Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally turnout, race and intelligence attacks.
“I think one of the reasons people really like Donald Trump in politics is that he’s comfortable with being off-the-cuff. He says what he really thinks. He doesn’t always have a filter, and I think that’s a good thing and part of his charm,” Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
But ahead of a campaign event in the battleground state of Michigan, Vance also stressed, “If you look at this campaign, you see we’re talking about policy. That’s 90 percent of what we do. And I think that’s going to continue.”
Three and a half weeks after replacing President Biden as the leading 2024 Democratic candidate, Harris is riding high, as seen in the polls, soaring fundraising and huge crowds she draws to campaign events.
Trump campaign plans counterattack during Democratic convention
Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, will headline a Trump campaign event in Byron Center, Michigan, on Wednesday. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
While President Trump has criticized Harris on key issues such as border security, crime and inflation, he has also continued to blast and insult her in speeches, press conferences and social media posts.
A Trump political source told Fox News that the former president’s top advisers are trying privately to persuade Trump to refrain from insulting Harris or questioning the vice president’s racial identity, and instead to position her as an ultra-liberal and highlight her stances on the border, crime and inflation.
Trump claims Harris is more liberal than Bernie Sanders – Vermont senator tells Fox News
Trump’s allies have also publicly pleaded with him to refocus his attention.
“This race shouldn’t be decided by character,” former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday in an interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.” “Stop questioning the size of her support and start questioning her positions.”
McCarthy stressed that Trump has a “short time to act, so don’t just sit back. Get out there and start making your case.”
During an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News’ “Special Report” on Tuesday, former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley — who was Trump’s main rival in the Republican presidential primary earlier this year — also offered some unsolicited advice to her former boss.
Haley reiterated her hope for Trump to win the presidential election, saying, “You don’t win a campaign by talking about the size of the crowd. You don’t win a campaign by talking about what race Kamala Harris is. You don’t win a campaign by talking about whether she’s stupid. That’s not true. You can’t win by talking about that. The American people are smart. Treat them like smart people.”
As Kamala Harris gains momentum, Nikki Haley has a blunt message to Trump and the GOP: “Stop whining.”
Vance, who was answering questions from reporters at the end of a campaign event at a trucking company in the southwest Michigan town just south of Grand Rapids after his interview with Fox News Digital, was also asked about criticism of Trump by Republican lawmakers.
Former President Trump danced after a campaign rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota on July 27. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“Those who say Donald Trump should have done something different had the opportunity to do something different by challenging him in three primaries. Trump won every one of them. I think Donald Trump has earned the right to run the way he wants to campaign,” Vance emphasized.
Click here to get the FOX News app
But the senator added, “If you listen to what Donald J. Trump has said, if you watch what I’ve said, you know we’re prosecuting Kamala Harris on policy.”
And taking aim at Harris, Vance said: “We want an American president who is real, an American president who isn’t afraid to piss us off, an American president who will tell us the truth, not an American president who hides behind a teleprompter.”
Get the latest 2024 campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
On Trump criticism, Vance tells Fox News former president’s ‘off the cuff’ comments ‘part of his appeal’
Please subscribe to Fox News to access this content
Plus, with your account you get exclusive access to handpicked articles and other premium content for free.
Please enter a valid email address.
Exclusive: BYRON CENTER, Mich. — Donald Trump’s running mate has an answer to the blunt advice from allies and fellow Republicans that he should stick to his policies and message, rather than questioning Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally turnout, race and intelligence attacks.
“I think one of the reasons people really like Donald Trump in politics is that he’s comfortable with being off-the-cuff. He says what he really thinks. He doesn’t always have a filter, and I think that’s a good thing and part of his charm,” Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
But ahead of a campaign event in the battleground state of Michigan, Vance also stressed, “If you look at this campaign, you see we’re talking about policy. That’s 90 percent of what we do. And I think that’s going to continue.”
Three and a half weeks after replacing President Biden as the leading 2024 Democratic candidate, Harris is riding high, as seen in the polls, soaring fundraising and huge crowds she draws to campaign events.
Trump campaign plans counterattack during Democratic convention
Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, will headline a Trump campaign event in Byron Center, Michigan, on Wednesday. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
While President Trump has criticized Harris on key issues such as border security, crime and inflation, he has also continued to blast and insult her in speeches, press conferences and social media posts.
A Trump political source told Fox News that the former president’s top advisers are trying privately to persuade Trump to refrain from insulting Harris or questioning the vice president’s racial identity, and instead to position her as an ultra-liberal and highlight her stances on the border, crime and inflation.
Trump claims Harris is more liberal than Bernie Sanders – Vermont senator tells Fox News
Trump’s allies have also publicly pleaded with him to refocus his attention.
“This race shouldn’t be decided by character,” former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday in an interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.” “Stop questioning the size of her support and start questioning her positions.”
McCarthy stressed that Trump has a “short time to act, so don’t just sit back. Get out there and start making your case.”
During an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News’ “Special Report” on Tuesday, former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley — who was Trump’s main rival in the Republican presidential primary earlier this year — also offered some unsolicited advice to her former boss.
Haley reiterated her hope for Trump to win the presidential election, saying, “You don’t win a campaign by talking about the size of the crowd. You don’t win a campaign by talking about what race Kamala Harris is. You don’t win a campaign by talking about whether she’s stupid. That’s not true. You can’t win by talking about that. The American people are smart. Treat them like smart people.”
As Kamala Harris gains momentum, Nikki Haley has a blunt message to Trump and the GOP: “Stop whining.”
Vance, who was answering questions from reporters at the end of a campaign event at a trucking company in the southwest Michigan town just south of Grand Rapids after his interview with Fox News Digital, was also asked about criticism of Trump by Republican lawmakers.
Former President Trump danced after a campaign rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota on July 27. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“Those who say Donald Trump should have done something different had the opportunity to do something different by challenging him in three primaries. Trump won every one of them. I think Donald Trump has earned the right to run the way he wants to campaign,” Vance emphasized.
Click here to get the FOX News app
But the senator added, “If you listen to what Donald J. Trump has said, if you watch what I’ve said, you know we’re prosecuting Kamala Harris on policy.”
And taking aim at Harris, Vance said: “We want an American president who is real, an American president who isn’t afraid to piss us off, an American president who will tell us the truth, not an American president who hides behind a teleprompter.”
Get the latest 2024 campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
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