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Vance presses Trump on ‘enemy within’ rhetoric in tense interview

Harry October 28, 2024

WASHINGTON – Sen. J.D. VanceR-Ohio pressed former President Donald Trump Attacks on the “enemy from within” and accusations of fascism from the former president’s onetime allies during a series of tense interviews.

The talks came after Trump’s former White House chief of staff, John Kelly, said: New York Times He thinks Trump has no understanding of the Constitution or the rule of law and fits the former president’s description of a fascist.

Vance responded to those comments on Sunday. He accused Kelly and other former Trump officials, who have since criticized the former president, of taking office thinking they could “control” him, only to eventually be fired.

“They all turned on Donald Trump,” Vance told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

But the vice presidential candidate also touched on Trump’s repeated attacks against those he calls the country’s “enemies.” Embers he told Fox News Earlier this month he said he believed the military should be called in to deal with “radical left lunatics” “if it’s really necessary” and “enemy within“In a state of unrest regarding the election.

Here are USA TODAY’s highlights from Vance’s combative remarks.

Vance asked about accusations of fascism

Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats are highlighting criticism from former Trump administration officials who claim the former president would undermine the democratic process if he returns to the White House.

Kelly’s he told the Times that Trump “definitely falls within the general definition of fascist”; Mark MilleyThe former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told author Bob Woodward that the former president was “the most dangerous person ever… I realize he’s a complete fascist.”

On CNN, Vance characterized critics as disgruntled employees who want to push Trump into military conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere.

“The main disagreement they have with Donald Trump is that even though they say they are conservative, they are conservative in the sense that they want America to get involved in a bunch of ridiculous military conflicts,” Vance said.

Ohio senator clashes with CNN’s Tapper, who disagrees with officials’ opinion former Vice President Mike Pence They ever thought they could “control” Trump. At one point Tapper asked: “Are you running for vice president of the United States or vice president of the red states?”

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.Trump, who is one of Trump’s most vocal critics and participated in the election campaign with Harris, noted on CNN that Vance had harshly criticized Trump before his political career.

“What we just watched was what it looked like when someone had to go through incredible hardships to find a way to defend what J.D. Vance himself called America’s Hitler,” Cheney said.

Vance in 2016 message to a friend He wrote that Trump went “back and forth” believing he could be “America’s Hitler.” Trump’s running mate said the former president changed his mind during his tenure.

‘Enemy within’

Trump also raised the possibility of using the military to solve the problem. “The enemy within” It’s a term he’s used in recent weeks to refer to a wide range of people, from violent protesters to prominent Democratic officials and others.

On CNN, Vance said Trump was talking about “crazy people on the far left” who are “burning down our cities” and denied that the former president would try to use force against the likes of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

“What he said, and I agree with it, is that the greatest threat we have in our country is not a foreign enemy, because we can deal with these guys. We can deal with foreign conflicts,” he added on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Vance said political threats from the left are a greater threat than foreign enemies. He quoted Harris and Pelosi on issues such as the decline of the US industrial base and border security.

“The fact that Americans have a wide-open southern border is a far greater threat than any foreign threat,” Vance told NBC. “And yes, this is due to a breakdown in leadership.”

gender difference

Polls point to a deadlocked race, but they also show a large gender gap among voters.

Latest USA TODAY/Suffolk University national poll, Women supported Harris, 53% to 36%. This is a mirror image of men’s overwhelming support for Trump, 53 percent to 37 percent. If these gaps persist through Election Day, it would be the largest disparity since the gender gap emerged in 1980, more than four decades ago.

Vance told CBS on Sunday that he doesn’t believe Republicans have a “women’s issue” and that his domestic and foreign policies are better for all Americans, regardless of gender.

“We have to do the best we can to women and men as much as we can,” Vance said.

Abortion rights have been one of the top issues in the 2024 race for the White House. Other reproductive rights, such as access to in vitro fertilization, are also on women’s agenda. voters across the country In 2022, the Supreme Court’s Roe v. In the first presidential election since he overturned Wade.

While Harris put forward certain policies It appeals to male voters, but it’s unclear how effective the proposals are because Trump has made inroads with men in particular. Black and Latin men.

Putin and the war in Ukraine

Vance participated in a series of interviews amid reports that Russia was again meddling in the election through false statements and fake photos online.

For example, the FBI and the director of national intelligence announced on Friday that Russia was behind a fake video that showed… Ballot papers are being torn up in Pennsylvania a major battlefield situation.

During an appearance on “Meet the Press,” Vance refused to call Russian President Vladimir Putin an “enemy” of the United States, instead saying, “I think he’s clearly an enemy. He’s a rival.”

Vance added: “But I think we also need to be smart about diplomacy.” “Just because we don’t like someone doesn’t mean we can’t chat with them from time to time.”

Vance’s response comes after the Republican ticket has criticized NATO for months. Trump said earlier this year that he might not come to the aid of European countries attacked by Russia and might even “encourage” the Russians to “do whatever they want” if those countries fail to meet their financial commitments. defense alliance

Vance also said sanctions against Russia were ineffective, but did not specify how a potential Trump-Vance administration would change them.

“What we need to do is encourage our American friends to be careful,” Vance said on CBS. “Don’t trust everything you see on social media. And of course we should step back where appropriate.”

The latter, he added, is a big question: “What is the appropriate response to a country that produces social media videos? I’m not going to make a commitment to that by sitting here.”