The controversial ABC News presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump earlier this week drew mixed reactions from the American Republic. Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance offered his opinion on the event, calling out what he believes should have been more thoroughly discussed.
During a short appearance on ABC, Vance highlighted some pressing issues that he feels didn’t receive enough attention, such as the state of the economy and the ongoing border crisis that has not improved throughout the Biden-Harris administration. The Ohio senator illustrated how fentanyl overdoses are skyrocketing, and people cannot afford groceries.
“This debate didn’t talk nearly enough about the fact that Americans are struggling because they can’t afford groceries, they can’t afford housing, and their kids are dying of fentanyl overdoses because Kamala Harris has let the Mexican drug cartels take over the southern border,” Vance claimed.
He further noted, “This is a disgrace what’s going on in our country … and we could do so much better if we just had better leadership. We’ve got the best workers, the most beautiful country, the best natural resources, but Kamala Harris’ leadership is squandering the great benefits of this country. It’s why we’ve got to get back to Donald Trump’s leadership.”
As Vance pointed out, Americans have been struggling under the current administration’s economy, where inflation has run rampant over the past several years. However, Kamala Harris refused to acknowledge this in the debate, where The American Tribune reported on her dodging the question as to whether Americans were better off under Biden-Harris leadership or under the previous Trump administration.
Host David Muir asked Harris, “Vice President Harris, you and President Trump [Biden] were elected four years ago, and your opponent on the stage here tonight often asks his supporters, are you better off than you were four years ago when it comes to the economy? Do you believe Americans are better off than they were four years ago?”
Avoiding the question, Harris began, “So I was raised as a middle class kid, and I am actually the only person on this stage who has a plan that is about lifting up the middle class and working people of America. I believe in the ambition, the aspirations, the dreams of the American people, and that is why I imagine and have actually a plan to build what I call an opportunity economy.”
Watch Vance below:
One controversial moment during the debate was when Trump alleged that migrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating cats and dogs, to which he was “fact checked” by the hosts. However, The Tribune reported on Vance defending this comment, citing the firsthand accounts of his constituents in his home state that confirm these accounts.
Vance said, “Do you know what’s confirmed? That a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant who had no right to be here. That local health services have been overwhelmed. That communicable diseases–like TB and HIV–have been on the rise. That local schools have struggled to keep up with newcomers who don’t know English. That rents have risen so fast that many Springfield families can’t afford to put a roof over their head.” He also said, “If you’re a reporter, or an activist, who didn’t give a sh*t about these suffering Americans until yesterday, I have some advice: Spare your outrage for your fellow citizens suffering under Kamala Harris’s policies. Be outraged at yourself for letting this happen.”
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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