Republican Vice Presidential Candidate JD Vance Weighs In on Key Election Issues

In an extensive interview with ABC News’ Jon Karl, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance addressed various critical issues ahead of the November election. Despite the recent tightening of the race, Vance expressed confidence in his and Trump’s chances of victory.

Vance on ‘Pro-Family’ Views

Vance has faced criticism for previous comments about childless Americans, leading to accusations of bias against families without children. In the interview, he explained his views as a “thought experiment” in response to Democratic proposals to lower the voting age.

“Do I regret saying it? I regret that the media and the Kamala Harris campaign has, frankly, distorted what I said,” Vance said. “They turn this into a policy proposal that I never made. … I said, I want us to be more pro-family, and I do want us to be more pro-family.”

Vance emphasized the importance of supporting families, citing economic struggles like rising costs and medical expenses.

Vance on Mass Deportation Plan

Vance echoed Trump’s goal of deporting up to 20 million undocumented immigrants. When questioned about the feasibility of such a plan, Vance acknowledged the challenges but proposed a “sequential approach.”

“Let’s start with 1 million,” Vance said. “I think if you deport a lot of violent criminals and frankly if you make it harder to hire illegal labor, which undercuts the wages of American workers, I think you go a lot of the way to solving the illegal immigration problem.”

Vance on Vice Presidential Role

Trump has previously expressed uncertainty about Vance’s readiness to assume the presidency if necessary. However, Vance stated his belief that Trump does, in fact, have confidence in his abilities as a potential commander-in-chief.

“What I think that he does believe because he made it the main focus of his vetting process, is, ‘Do I think this person can be president on day one if, God forbid, something happens? Yes,'” Vance said.

Vance on False Claims about Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate

Vance repeated unfounded accusations against Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, claiming he supports “taking children away from their parents” for gender-affirming care. Karl challenged these allegations as “crazy,” but Vance maintained his stance.

Walz’s policies protect the rights of transgender individuals to access gender-affirming care, including non-surgical procedures like counseling and hormone therapy.

Vance on Racist Attack against His Wife

Karl also brought up a recent racist attack by white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who insulted Vance’s wife’s race. Vance defended his wife and denounced the attack, but declined to criticize Trump for dining with Fuentes in the past.

“The one thing I like about Donald Trump, Jon, is that he actually will talk to anybody,” Vance said. “But just because you talk to somebody doesn’t mean you endorse their views.”