US vice presidential candidate JD Vance is off to a rocky start alongside Donald Trump. Trump defends his partner, but finds less than flattering words.
Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump has half-heartedly defended his vice president JD Vance against criticism, but at the same time downplayed his importance in the election campaign. In response to Vance’s controversial comments about childless people, Trump said at an appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago: “He is very family-oriented. But that doesn’t mean there’s something wrong if you don’t have a family.” When asked whether Vance, who has little political experience, would be fit for office from day one, Trump responded evasively, saying: “Historically, the vice president has no influence when it comes to the election.”
Donald Trump’s difficult candidate
Trump introduced Vance as his vice president at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee in mid-July. However, all sorts of statements from the past are currently catching up with Vance. The climax so far: sexist statements about childless people. In an interview in 2021, the father of three described leading Democratic politicians – including Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now running for the White House herself – as “childless cat women” who are unhappy with their lives. The clip from that time resurfaced after his rise to become Trump’s vice president, spread rapidly and brought him a lot of criticism.
Bad poll numbers for Vance
It was not Vance’s only statement in this direction. He has expressed his position that childless people should have less say in a democracy in various ways, which has not gone down well. In addition, the Republican is struggling with poor poll ratings. The Democratic competition is also attacking Vance for his lack of experience. The 39-year-old has only been in the Senate since January 2023. He has no experience in government, nor a long political past.
Trump said he chose Vance as his running mate because he worked his way up from a difficult background. “He’s created an amazing life for himself,” the former president said. “I respect people for their success.”
Overall, however, Trump downplayed the role of vice presidential candidates: There are always only “two or three days” of excitement about who will take on the role, “and then it dies down again and it’s just about choosing the president.”
