Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio) and ABC News' Martha Raddatz got into an argument Sunday in a Colorado city over former President Trump's claims against Venezuelan gangs.
Raddatz asked Vance when. He participated in “This Week” If he stands by President Trump's statement that gangs exist in Aurora, even after the Republican mayor said claims of damage to the city are “grossly exaggerated.”
“Well, Martha, you said the mayor was exaggerating. So there has to be some element of truth here,” Vance said.
Vance noted that Trump visited Aurora on Friday, where he was “talking to people on the ground.”
The former president held a rally there and called it a “war zone.” As part of his rhetoric on immigration, President Trump amplified reports that Venezuelan gangs had taken over an apartment complex in the city. State and local leaders pushed back against his comments.
“Martha, what we're hearing is that people are scared of what's happened with some of the gangs in Venezuela,” Vance said Sunday.
Raddatz interrupted Vance.
“I'll stop you,” she repeated. “The incidents have been isolated to a small number of apartment complexes, and the mayor said dedicated police officers are acting in response to these concerns. There are several issues.”
“Martha, can you hear me?” Vance questioned. “A handful of apartment complexes in America have been taken over by Venezuelan gangs, but is the problem Donald Trump? Not Kamala Harris' open borders?”
Vance went on to say that Americans are “so fed up with what's going on, and they have every right to be.”
