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Jimmy Williams
On NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Ohio Senator JD Vance defended former President Donald Trump’s assertion that Democratic leaders pose a greater threat to America than foreign adversaries. Vance cited critical domestic issues like inflation, the border crisis, and the military’s recruitment struggles as symptoms of “broken leadership” under long-serving politicians.
“When I look at the biggest threats to America, Kristen, I think the fact that people can’t afford groceries, the fact that we can’t meet our recruitment goals in the military, and the fact that Americans have a wide-open southern border—that’s a way bigger threat than any foreign threat,” Vance told moderator Kristen Welker. “And, yes, it’s caused by broken leadership.”
Vance singled out former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as emblematic of leadership he believes has eroded America’s economic and industrial dominance. “Under Nancy Pelosi’s long life in public leadership, the United States has gone from the preeminent industrial power of the world to second, next to China,” he said, blaming Pelosi for the country’s diminished industrial base. “That fundamentally belongs on Nancy Pelosi’s shoulders, and if we’re going to have a more prosperous country, we’ve got to recognize our own leadership is why we lost our industrial base to China.”
The remarks came as Trump’s recent statements on “enemies from within” have stirred controversy. Trump argued that these domestic adversaries—whom he previously identified as including Pelosi and Representative Adam Schiff, D-Calif.—are more dangerous to America’s future than foreign powers like China and Russia.
“The biggest threat we have in our country, it’s not a foreign adversary,” Vance said, clarifying Trump’s perspective. “We can handle these guys. We can handle foreign conflicts,” Vance added, explaining that Trump’s view is that threats stemming from poor domestic governance are harder to counter.
Trump told Fox News earlier this month, “We have the outside enemy, and then we have the enemy from within, and the enemy from within, in my opinion, is more dangerous than China, Russia, and all these countries.” He elaborated, “We have China. We have Russia. We have all these countries. If you have a smart president, they can all be handled. The more difficult are, you know, the Pelosis. These people, they’re so sick and they’re so evil.”
Vance, a vocal Trump ally, has become one of the former president’s key defenders, regularly amplifying Trump’s positions and clarifying his remarks in high-profile appearances. On Saturday, he reiterated his belief that domestic failures—rising inflation, a labor-short military, and border security concerns—stem not from foreign threats but from ineffective, long-standing U.S. leadership.
