At a rally on Tuesday, J.D. Vance defended his comments about Haitian immigrants eating pets, saying it was “the responsibility of the media to fact-check reports, not mine.”
The rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, came two days after the Ohio senator told CNN host Dana Bash that it’s okay to “invent a story” to draw attention to issues that matter to voters, regarding sensational and unfounded claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, ate residents’ pets.
His comments, which seemed to suggest politicians were comfortable lying, drew swift condemnation. But at the rally, Vance defended their statements, claiming that many constituents had told him they “saw something in Springfield.”
“Plus, when you have people who aren’t listening to their constituents and aren’t going to take their constituents’ concerns seriously, it’s my job as a United States senator to listen to my constituents,” he said.
Vance answered questions from reporters but then repeatedly attacked them, bringing the crowd to their feet.
“When I say they invented stories, and the media always does, they’re being very dishonest. When I say they invented stories, I’m talking about media stories, by focusing the press’s attention on what was going on in Springfield,” Vance said.
In a speech to a crowd of several hundred, Governor Vance spoke at length about immigration, highlighting crimes committed by illegal immigrants in the town of Prairie du Chien that Republicans in the state have already used to bolster their argument that immigrants commit violent crimes, when in fact studies show that immigrants do not commit crimes at a higher rate than native-born people.
“Every community is a border state,” Vance said. “The problems that Kamala Harris brought with her from the southern border of the United States are now spreading across the country.”
He also blamed the vice president for the recent apparent assassination attempt at Mar-a-Lago.
“The American media, the Democratic Party and Kamala Harris’ campaign need to stop this crap or someone is going to get killed,” Vance said, arguing that Democrats, who have highlighted Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric and attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, are to blame for the two assassination attempts Trump has faced so far during the 2024 campaign.
Vance painted a chaotic, dark and violent vision of the United States under a Harris presidency.
“Right now, we are closer to nuclear war or World War III than we’ve ever been in the history of our country, and it’s because of Kamala Harris’ confusion and incompetence,” the Republican vice presidential nominee said during a campaign stop in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Vance’s message, especially on immigration, was well received by the audience.
“You never know who’s going to come across the border, you never know their violence, you never know their background,” said Victoria Bichel, a farmer and real estate owner who thanked Vance for his comments. “I believe in immigration. I believe in legal immigration… I’m not going to cross the border into Saudi Arabia and decide to live there.”