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Jimmy Williams
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance made headlines Wednesday after directly stating for the first time that he does not believe former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.
Vance’s comment came during a campaign appearance in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, when a reporter asked him about his stance on Trump’s 2020 defeat and its impact on independent voters.
“No, I think there are serious problems in 2020. So did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use,” Vance responded, finally offering a clear stance on a question he has often sidestepped throughout the campaign.
Vance, who is Trump’s running mate, has consistently faced pressure to clarify his views on the legitimacy of the 2020 election. Earlier in the month, during the vice presidential debate, Vance avoided a direct answer when Democratic opponent Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz asked whether Trump lost the election. Vance instead focused on his concerns about censorship during the election.
“Tim, I’m focused on the future,” Vance said during the debate, prompting Walz to criticize the response as a “damning non-answer.”
Vance’s reluctance to address the 2020 election head-on has become a recurring theme in his media appearances. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Vance was asked five times whether Trump lost the 2020 election. He responded by shifting the conversation to social media censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop story, which he argued had influenced the election’s outcome.
“Is it OK that big technology companies censored the Hunter Biden laptop story, which independent analysis has said cost Donald Trump millions of votes?” Vance said during the interview.
The Harris campaign wasted no time in responding to Vance’s comments in Pennsylvania. In a statement, the campaign accused Vance of finally revealing his denial of the 2020 election results.
“JD Vance finally admitted he denies the 2020 election results,” the statement said. “As Governor Walz said on the debate stage weeks ago, Donald Trump selected Vance for this exact reason — he knows Vance will be a loyal soldier in Trump’s pursuit for absolute, unchecked, limitless power.”
At a later campaign stop in North Carolina on Wednesday, Vance acknowledged the differing opinions about the 2020 election but reiterated his focus on defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming race.
“If you disagree with me on an issue, or you disagree with me about what I just said, or you disagree about a particular policy view of the Trump administration, that’s fine,” Vance said. “What I think that we’re all united on is that we need to get Kamala Harris out of the Oval Office so that Americans can afford to live a good life again.”
Vance’s comments have reignited debate over the ongoing influence of Trump’s election fraud claims and how they continue to shape the 2024 campaign.
