JD Vance’s Defense of Trump’s Attack on Kamala Harris Backfires Dramatically

Senator JD Vance found himself in a precarious position this week as he defended Donald Trump’s latest racially charged comments about Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s remarks, which questioned Harris’ racial identity, have ignited widespread condemnation and placed Vance in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. During an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention, Trump falsely claimed, "I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now, she wants to be known as Black. So, I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black?...she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn, and she went -- she became a Black person." He also took to social media and wrote, "Your warmth, friendship, and love of your Indian Heritage are very much appreciated."

As per HuffPost, critics quickly denounced Trump’s comments as racially insensitive and factually incorrect. However, Vance, who is Trump’s vice presidential candidate, doubled down on the former president’s statements. Vance defended Trump by attacking Harris. He said, “I frankly just think it’s hysterical how much the media is overreacting to it. The President doesn’t do scripted BS stuff. He actually goes into hostile audiences, he answers tough questions, he pushes back against them, but he actually answers them and how nice it is to have an American leader who’s not afraid to go into hostile places and actually answer some tough questions. So what he said, I thought it was hysterical. I think he pointed out the fundamental chameleon-like nature of Kamala Harris. She’s flip flopped on every issue. She’s fake. She’s phony. And I think our whole campaign is going to have a very fun time pointing that out. And it sounds like the president kicked us off in stride.”

As per CNN, he repeated these claims at a rally in Arizona, emphasizing, “Look, all he said is that Kamala Harris is a chameleon…She is everything to everybody, and she pretends to be somebody different depending on which audience she is in front of. I think it’s totally reasonable for the president to call that out, and that’s all he did.”

However, Vance’s own history of shifting positions, specifically regarding Trump, undermines his attack. In 2016, Vance compared Trump to ‘America’s Hitler,’ called him a ‘terrible candidate,’ and confessed he ‘never liked him.’ Since then, Vance has reversed his stance and become one of Trump’s staunchest allies, posing questions about his credibility in labeling others as chameleons.

Vance's remarks were quickly rebuffed by Harris's campaign. Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for Harris, stated, “JD Vance and Donald Trump are trafficking in hatred and lies to divide the American people because with no positive vision to move our country forward, all they can do is drag us back.” Harris herself responded to Trump’s comments during a speech at a Black sorority gathering in Houston. She exclaimed, “It was the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect. Let me just say, the American people deserve better.”