Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance took an apparent shot at Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at an event in Michigan, repeating a theme about her upbringing that she often repeats at her own events.
Speaking to a group of supporters in Traverse City, Vance said he “grew up in a working-class family” himself and knows what it takes to stand up for the middle class in a volatile election year with high inflation and huge costs.
“Many of you know my background, you know where I come from. I grew up in a working-class family. So when Democrats, when Kamala Harris talks about coming from a middle-class background, when Democrats talk about working-class positions, they’re not telling the truth,” Vance said.
He added: “They are lying to you.”
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Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) addresses supporters during a campaign event at the Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds in Traverse City, Michigan, on September 25, 2024. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Vance said in his speech that voters can look back to how many Democrats in power during the coronavirus pandemic tried to impose lockdowns and keep them in place even as Americans were eager to get back to work.
“Here’s why we know they’re lying,” he continued. “Remember a few years ago when many nurses and people in many industries lost their jobs because they refused to get the COVID vaccine? If you want to get the COVID vaccine, get it. If you don’t want to get it, don’t get it. But listen, it’s disgraceful that Kamala Harris said she represents the American worker, yet fired millions of American workers because she didn’t do what she said she would.”
Vance’s visit to Michigan comes as the state serves as a key backdrop for former President Trump’s possible reelection and for lower-ranking candidates such as former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate.
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After praising Rogers, Vance turned his attention to the current vice president.
“I don’t know if you saw the news, but Kamala Harris decided to do her first solo national interview,” Vance said. “I’ve watched a few of the interviews with Kamala Harris by local reporters and now I understand why Kamala Harris won’t do interviews. The answer is because every time she answers a question, it adds about 100,000 votes to my vote and to Donald Trump’s.”
“Of course, they’re going to ask Kamala, because she’s the vice president and she’s the reason our inflation is soaring and our borders are open, what are you going to do? What’s your specific plan to solve the inflation crisis that’s making it hard to buy groceries and hard to buy a home? And Kamala will say, ‘Well, did you know I grew up in a middle-class family in Berkeley, California, with a very nice lawn?'” he continued, “And it’s like, well, maybe that’s true. What the hell does that have to do with lower inflation?”
Vance added: “Or they’ll say, ‘Kamala Harris, there’s a war going on across the country. Kamala Harris, your administration has led policies that, in some ways, created this conflict. How are you going to resolve this conflict as president of the United States?’ And Kamala Harris will say, ‘Did you know that when I was a teenager, I worked at McDonald’s for about three months?'”
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Republican senators slammed their Democratic counterparts for lacking specifics in their responses.
“My friends, I think all of us watching this interview are asking ourselves: Who is Kamala Harris and what is she actually going to do for the American people? The answer is, we don’t know. (But) she’s been Vice President for three and a half years and she’s done nothing, so there’s no need to speculate too much. So let’s not think that Kamala Harris is going to solve the problems that she created.”
Vance spoke to the crowd at a rally on Sept. 21, 2024, at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Leesport, Pennsylvania. (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
“Kamala Harris is causing inflation to skyrocket. Kamala Harris is causing people to be unable to afford groceries and housing. Kamala Harris is causing the world to be at war on almost every continent right now. Kamala Harris is causing open borders. Kamala Harris, want a promotion? The message from Michigan is: you’re fired. Go back to San Francisco where you belong.”
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Michigan, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, is one of the Democrats’ so-called “blue wall” states that have seen Democrats reliably win presidential elections for a quarter century.
This stronghold was completely shattered in the 2016 presidential election, when Trump narrowly won all three states, but Biden narrowly recaptured them in 2020.
