
A former aide in the Trump administration slammed his running mate this week over comments that she said are “disqualifying.”
On Wednesday, a reporter asked Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance, who is Donald Trump’s running mate, whether he believed that his boss lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden.
Vance responded “no.”
Speaking with the reporter at a rally in Pennsylvania, Vance said:
“I think there were serious problems in 2020. So, did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words I would use. But, look, I really couldn’t care less if you agree or disagree with me on this issue.”
Vance has been directly asked that same question, or similar ones to it, many times in the past, but this marked the first time he answered it directly. He evaded that question during the vice presidential debate that was held between him and Democratic running mate Tim Walz earlier this month.
This week, Alyssa Farah Griffin appeared on a CNN panel discussion, saying the fact that Vance is piggybacking on other Trump loyalists who still deny the results of the 2020 election means that he should be disqualified to run as vice president.
Griffin, who served in various high-level communication roles during the Trump administration, also said that Vance only made these statements about Trump not losing the election so he could advance his own political career.
She argued that going public with beliefs that the 2020 election was stolen is sort of a “litmus test” by members of the GOP who remain Trump loyalists.
As Griffin said on the panel:
“It should be disqualifying. It speaks to his character and his integrity. I don’t think there’s anyone on this panel who thinks that JD Vance legitimately believes that Donald Trump won the election and that Joe Biden lost it.
“But, this has become a litmus test. A sort of bright line to be able to be Donald Trump’s VP pick. There’s a reason that my former boss, Mike Pence, is not on the ticket. … He certified 81 million American votes for Joe Biden, who won the election.”
Griffin added that the answer that Vance gave to the reporter could ultimately make a difference during the election “around the margins,” highlighting “disillusioned Republicans who are tired of the lies” regarding the last presidential election.
Alex Floyd, the rapid response director at the Democratic National Committee, also said this week that the remarks Vance made were “pathetic.” In an email he sent to Newsweek, Floyd said:
“Donald Trump picked JD Vance to be his running mate because he knew Vance would go along with this dangerous election denialism and baseless attacks on our democracy no matter what. It’s pathetic — and voters are ready to remind Trump why he lost in 2020 again this November.”
Vance has swapped his stance on Trump over the years. In 2016, he made public comments that he was a “never Trumper” and even wondered what the future might be like under who he called “America’s Hitler.”