Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said on CNN’s “Inside Politics” on Friday that what happened in former President Donald Trump’s New York City business records trial is “the definition of fascism.”
Guest host Wolf Blitzer asked, “Would you be interested in being the vice presidential candidate of a convicted felon?”
“The purpose of this trial was to enable the media and Democrats to say exactly that: This was never justice, this was putting a convicted criminal on the air, and in fact the only thing Donald Trump is guilty of is being in a courtroom in a political sham trial,” Vance said.
Blitzer said, “So you think this wasn’t a fair trial at all?”
Vance said, “No, Mr. Wolf, I don’t think it was a fair trial. And more importantly, again, obviously everyone’s focused on Donald Trump, but the principles we’re trying to establish apply to our entire politics, and they’re basically saying if you don’t like the results of an election or you don’t like the way an election is unfolding, you can try to send your opponent to prison.”
Blitzer asked: “Do you agree with what Trump said, because I found it shocking and offensive when he said we live in a fascist state? Is the United States a fascist state?”
“I’m not criticizing Mr. Trump, I’m outraged by this entire process,” Vance said.
“Trump is calling the United States of America, the greatest country in the world, a fascist state. Is that OK with you?” Blitzer said.
“I think this is a disgrace. I don’t care what you call it,” Vance said.
He added: “I find this process, this legal process, disgraceful.”
Vance concluded: “I believe what happened in New York fits the definition of fascism when applied to all 50 states: putting your political opponents in jail. Thankfully, it only happened in New York and not the rest of the country.”
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