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Here's Why Kamala Harris' Post About JD Vance Is Particularly Awful

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  July 17, 2024 3:45 PM

Former and potentially future President Donald Trump on Monday picked Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) as his running mate, and as we've been covering since, the Democrats have been going after him nonstop. The Democrats have especially tried to tie Trump and Vance to the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, even when this has repeatedly been confirmed to not be the case. It goes deeper, though.

In a Wednesday morning post, Vice President Kamala Harris not only once again connected Vance to Project 2025, she had the audacity to claim Vance "will be loyal only to Trump, not to our country."

President Joe Biden's X account also shared Harris' post, with yet another message about Project 2025. The Democrats' X account reposted both Harris and Biden. 

The post also contained a video message from Harris, who claimed that "Trump looked for someone he knew who would be a rubber stamp to his extreme agenda and make no mistake: JD Vance will be loyal only to Trump, not to our country." She also drew a contrast between Vance and former Vice President Mike Pence. 

"But we are not going to let that happen," Harris said to conclude her message as she wagged her finger.

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Such a charge about one's loyalty is a harsh one to be making about anybody It's particularly so in Vance's case, given that he's a veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps during the Iraq War. Neil W. McCabe at our sister site of RedState also put out a piece highlighting Vance's military career not long after the Monday announcement was made.

This combative tone stands in stark contrast to how Harris had reportedly just called Vance days before to leave a message congratulating him and welcoming him to the race. 

The post has so far received approximately 9,000 replies and hundreds of quoted reposts taking issue with Harris' claims. Many highlighted Vance's service as well as expressed concerns about the rhetoric.

It's also important to keep in mind that just days before Harris' post, Trump was nearly assassinated on Saturday during a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania. 

During his Sunday night address to the nation, President Joe Biden began by speaking about a need to lower the temperature, but it looks to have been all talk. For one, he neglected to mention examples of violence against conservative figures. Sadly, there's plenty of evidence, like the plot to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) being brutally assaulted over a neighborly dispute, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) being shot and nearly killed while practicing for the Congressional Baseball Game in 2017. 

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during Monday's press briefing indicated that it's not likely that we can expect Biden to change his problematic tone and the concerning messages he sends about Trump being a supposed threat to democracy. 

Biden himself, during an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt that aired during the first night of the RNC, also on Monday, claimed that he wasn't the one who was engaging in problematic rhetoric, that it was all Trump. He then went on to mention debunked narratives.

Even more relevant to Vance, though, is that one of the many posts from Democrats on Monday about the pick also sent a clear message that the rhetoric will remain. One post soliciting donations likened "Protect democracy" with "Defeat Trump-Vance."

A statement from the Ohio Democrats on Monday also portrayed Vance as "an out-of-touch millionaire," leaving out Vance's story of humble beginnings and how he is able to connect with everyday Americans as a result. That statement even claimed that Vance "spent his time in the Senate humiliating himself in the service of a convicted felon instead of working to improve the quality of life for Ohioans," which could be another dig at his military service. 

These posts from Harris and Biden aren't the only time someone on the ticket has gone after the military service of elected officials. As Matt covered earlier on Wednesday, Biden was on a call with House Democrats, including Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, a veteran with a Bronze Star.

"Tell me what you did something that you've never done with your Bronze Star like my son," Biden yelled at one point to Crow.