Senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, dodged the question of whether he believed there would be a second debate between the former president and Harris in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” this morning.
“Will there be a second debate? I think that’s an interesting question,” he said. “It’s telling to me that some pundits left the debate saying Kamala Harris did great, but the real undecided voters seem to think Donald Trump did better.”
Vance reiterated Trump’s argument that Harris’s call for a second debate against the former president meant she had admitted defeat in the debate.
“It’s telling that Kamala Harris came out right after the debate and said, ‘Yes, I would love to do another debate,'” he said. “When you think things went so well, you don’t usually immediately demand a rematch. Like in a boxing match, the one who loses is usually the one who immediately demands a rematch.”
When asked if he was frustrated by Trump’s focus during the debate, Vance said the former president’s closing argument was “a crucial part of the debate” because it gave him the opportunity to denounce Harris’ record in the White House.
“He’s made the whole message clear up to this point, which is that Kamala Harris says she wants to do all these great things. Kamala Harris is currently the vice president of the United States. Why isn’t she doing it now?” he said, adding that he “thinks a lot of her economic policies are crazy.”
Vance also sharply criticized the questioning of the moderators of the presidential debate hosted by ABC, saying they asked “ridiculous lies” about Trump rather than questions about the economy.
Asked about a recent Goldman Sachs report showing immigration’s positive impact on the job market, Vance pivoted to attack Harris’ record on immigration, accusing Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, of driving up housing costs and infectious disease rates, the focus of a baseless accusation by Trump that Haitian immigrants in Ohio eat pets.
“Wall Street has said the way to prosperity in this country is to flood the country with cheap labor and move our manufacturing to places like China, where they use cheap slave labor,” he said. “That has actually led to communities like Springfield, Ohio, where 20,000 Haitians live. Housing costs are unaffordable. Contagious diseases are on the rise, and people can’t afford a good life in this Ohio city.”
“If the path to prosperity was to flood your country with low-wage immigrants, then Springfield, Ohio, would be the wealthiest country and city in the world,” he added.
