Vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance said he was prepared for a flurry of negative media coverage after former President Trump selected him as his running mate.
In an interview NBC News, Vance said he doesn’t think Trump is disappointed in him for selecting him.
“No,” Vance said, “I mean, I knew the minute I walked out the gate that I was going to get a few days of positive media coverage, but then immediately after that they were going to come after me for everything I’d ever said.”
“You have to try to run for national office and have a chance to govern, so to some extent I expected that,” he added. “Frankly, I don’t think people who have screwed up the country, made a lot of money and gained a lot of power, are going to quit easily.”
JD Vance speaks out about past criticism of Trump after VP election: ‘I believed the lies and distortions in the media’
Vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance said he was prepared for a flurry of negative media coverage after former President Trump selected him as his running mate. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Vance also said he would focus on border policy once in office, essentially reversing the work of Vice President Kamala Harris, whom President Biden tapped to tackle the influx of illegal immigrants in 2021.
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“It all starts with strength: strong borders, strong families, a strong economy and a strong president,” Vance said in a recent rally speech. “Of all Kamala Harris’s shortcomings, the worst is that she has left America weak and vulnerable. The whole world now knows that for years she helped cover up Joe Biden’s declining mental capacity.”
Sen. J.D. Vance also said he would take aim at border policy if he takes office, essentially undoing the work of Vice President Kamala Harris. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
“The world is in chaos because of weak American leadership, and our enemies are salivating,” Vance added.
Vance also defended the comments Democrats have used to attack him, highlighting an old interview in which he criticized Harris and other Democratic congressional women as “childless catwomen.” He explained the comments to NBC but did not retract or apologize.
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“What I criticized, and what I still criticize, is a particular neurosis in American leaders that I think leads people to say crazy things like, you shouldn’t have children because climate change is a threat to the future,” he told the outlet. “Climate change may be a problem, but it’s not a problem that should motivate people not to have families. And I think that attitude is very harmful. It’s very destructive.”
Senator J.D. Vance came under fire from Democrats for calling Vice President Kamala Harris and others “childless pussy women.” (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“I’m sure Democrats will misrepresent what I said, but I’m going to continue to point that out,” he added. “I just believe that the substance of what I said is actually quite defensible.”
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Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida defended Vance on the issue during a recent campaign rally. She and top Trump adviser Jason Miller have accompanied Vance to rallies around the country.
“I’m here today because J.D. Vance is under vicious attack for being a misogynist,” Luna said at a rally in Nevada. “Can you believe this? This is coming from the same party that can’t even define what a woman is.”
