CNN
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Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance sought to show the tables on Democratic rival Tim Walz, asserting that the Minnesota governor is the one being “bizarre.”
In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash that aired Sunday, the Ohio senator pointed to Walz shaking his spouse’s hand earlier than hugging her onstage on the rally in Philadelphia at which Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled him as her operating mate.
Vance accused the Democratic ticket of “a little bit little bit of projection,” contrasting how he’d hugged and kissed his personal spouse after his first speech because the Republican vice presidential nominee.
“Tim Walz gave his spouse a pleasant, agency Midwestern handshake, after which tried to form of awkwardly appropriate for it,” Vance mentioned.
“I believe what it’s, is 2 folks, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, who aren’t comfy in their very own pores and skin, as a result of they’re uncomfortable with their coverage positions for the American folks,” he mentioned. “And they also’re name-calling as a substitute of truly telling the American folks how they’re going to make their lives higher. I believe that’s bizarre, Dana, however look, they will name me no matter they need to.”
Requested whether or not he was suggesting the governor doesn’t have affection for his spouse, Vance mentioned Walz “acted bizarre, which he did, on a nationwide stage in entrance of his spouse.”
Vance’s feedback come as Democrats seize on a message that stems from Walz — weeks earlier than his choice as Harris’ ticket mate — describing former President Donald Trump and Vance as “just weird” in an interview on MSNBC.
In his “State of the Union” interview, Vance dismissed the taunt as “basically schoolyard bully stuff.”
The characterization of Vance as “bizarre” was fueled partly by feedback he made in a 2021 interview, claiming that america is run by “childless cat ladies.” He particularly talked about Harris, who’s a stepmother, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who would quickly afterward undertake youngsters along with his husband. Vance mentioned “in fact” he acknowledges the households of Harris and Buttigieg, and argued his feedback had been taken out of context.
With lower than three months till Election Day, Trump and Vance are confronting a wildly totally different race than the one they confronted final month, when Trump tapped Vance as his operating mate and Republicans gathered in Milwaukee for the celebration’s conference.
President Joe Biden’s departure and substitute as Democratic nominee by Harris has led to a a lot tighter presidential race than the one polls confirmed Trump main for a lot of 2024.
Vance acknowledged within the interview that “it’s totally different.”
“However what’s totally different about it’s we’re operating towards a distinct one that numerous Individuals simply don’t know,” he mentioned.
The Ohio senator mentioned Republicans’ purpose is to distinction the insurance policies Trump stood for throughout his time period in workplace with these of the Biden-Harris administration.
“Now that was a neater case to make when Joe Biden was in there, as a result of folks affiliate Joe Biden with the insurance policies. However I believe Kamala Harris clearly owns the insurance policies of the Biden-Harris administration, particularly once we take into account the truth that as we’ve all discovered in the previous few months, Joe Biden clearly isn’t able to doing the job,” Vance mentioned.
He additionally claimed that Harris “actually has been the one calling the pictures” within the Biden White Home.
“I imply, how may she not? I believe Joe Biden doesn’t actually know the place he’s,” Vance mentioned.
Vance additionally accused Walz of “mendacity about his personal document” of army service within the interview.
He criticized the Minnesota governor for as soon as claiming to have carried weapons “in conflict” — a Harris marketing campaign spokesperson said Walz misspoke — and for failing to appropriate descriptions of him up to now as having served in wars.
“I’m not criticizing Tim Walz’s service; I’m criticizing the truth that he lied about his service for political acquire,” Vance mentioned, accusing Walz of “scandalous conduct.”
“It’s not proper to misstate or embellish what you’ve executed, and I believe that’s what he did,” Vance mentioned.
Dana Bash asks JD Vance about Kamala Harris’ racial identification
Walz served within the Military Nationwide Guard for twenty-four years earlier than retiring to run for Congress in 2005. He deployed along with his unit to Italy in 2003 in assist of the US’ conflict effort in Afghanistan however didn’t deploy to a fight zone as a part of his service.
Vance identified that retired Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Julin, who was Walz’s superior and is a longtime critic of the Minnesota governor, told CNN’s Laura Coates on Friday that Walz dodged his deployment to Iraq by retiring months earlier than he would have been deployed to Iraq. Discover of the deployment got here within the fall of 2004, earlier than Walz retired, Julin mentioned.
“He knew he was going to Iraq,” Vance mentioned. “He determined to give up — to retire; no matter phrase you need to use … as a result of he wished to run for Congress. He lied about that. He mentioned that when he determined to retire, he didn’t know he was going to Iraq. That’s one other untruth, as even his senior army officer mentioned.
“I’m not criticizing his service. I’m criticizing dishonesty — dishonesty spoken in favor and for the aim of political profit.”
He additionally mentioned Harris’ selection of Walz is “a severe lapse in judgment.”
“And I don’t need to hear from a marketing campaign spokesperson of Kamala Harris; I need to hear Kamala Harris herself tackle what I simply mentioned,” Vance mentioned. “He mentioned he served in conflict, and he didn’t. That could be a dishonesty. … The reality is that Tim Walz didn’t inform the reality, and importantly, Dana, that is about Kamala Harris’ judgment.”
Vance mentioned if reelected, Trump wouldn’t search to dam entry to the abortion drug mifepristone.
Nonetheless, he mentioned the previous president would “let states make the choice on abortion coverage” — a place he acknowledged would result in a patchwork of insurance policies, together with blue states with fewer restrictions and crimson states with extra.
Requested about Kate Cox, the Texas girl who needed to depart the state to obtain an abortion after her fetus had been recognized with a uncommon and lethal genetic situation, Vance mentioned, “My coronary heart breaks for this girl.”
He mentioned Trump is “not attempting to stop ladies who’ve nonviable pregnancies from gaining access to the medical care that they want.”
“However what President Trump has mentioned is that we’re going to let voters make these selections. … You’ve acquired to let the voters make these selections,” Vance mentioned. “I believe that we’ve got to let voters resolve, and once they communicate their thoughts, it’s important to be respectful.”
Vance mentioned he was personally “not passing judgment on what these legal guidelines ought to be.”
Vance mentioned he agrees with Trump’s remark in a information convention final week that presidents ought to “have at least a say” over Federal Reserve coverage — a place that will undercut the central financial institution’s historic autonomy.
“The political management of this nation ought to have extra say over the financial coverage of this nation. I agree with him. That ought to basically be a political determination. Agree or disagree, we should always have America’s elected leaders having enter about a very powerful selections confronting our nation,” Vance mentioned.
“Whether or not the nation goes to conflict; what our rates of interest are — these are vital questions that American democracy ought to have vital solutions for,” he mentioned. “I believe all President Trump was saying was that look, it’s sort of bizarre that you’ve so many bureaucrats making so many vital selections. If the American folks don’t like our rate of interest coverage, they need to elect anyone totally different to vary that coverage. Nothing ought to be above democratic debate on this nation relating to the massive questions confronting america.”
After Trump set off controversy by questioning the racial heritage of Harris – whose dad and mom had been immigrants from Jamaica and India – Vance mentioned he believes Harris “is no matter she says she is.”
Nonetheless, he again cast Harris as a political “chameleon,” arguing that was the purpose Trump was trying to make along with his false comments on the latest Nationwide Affiliation of Black Journalists conference.
“She’s not operating a political marketing campaign. She’s operating a film. She solely speaks to voters behind a teleprompter. Every part is scripted. She doesn’t have her coverage positions on the market,” Vance mentioned.
He additionally pointed to liberal positions Harris took through the 2020 Democratic presidential main – a race she dropped out of in 2019, earlier than the primary votes had been forged.
“She hasn’t answered why she wished to ban fracking however now she doesn’t; she wished to defund the police however now she doesn’t; she wished to open the border however now she doesn’t,” Vance mentioned.
“She ought to must reply for why she presents a distinct set of insurance policies to at least one viewers and a distinct set of insurance policies to a different viewers,” he mentioned. “And I believe that’s what President Trump was getting at. This can be a basically pretend individual. She’s totally different relying on who she’s in entrance of.”