JD Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, defended his controversial comments about Haitian immigrants allegedly eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, during a rally in Wisconsin on Tuesday.
Vance, addressing the crowd in Eau Claire, insisted that it was the media’s responsibility to fact-check such claims, not his.
“The media has a responsibility to fact-check,” Vance said, doubling down on his remarks.
His comments came two days after telling CNN host Dana Bash that it was acceptable “to create stories” to draw attention to important issues.
Vance’s earlier claims, which suggested Haitian immigrants had eaten pets in Springfield, were widely criticised for being inflammatory and unfounded.
During the rally, Vance claimed that numerous constituents had told him they had “seen something in Springfield” regarding the incident. “As a United States senator, it’s my job to listen to my constituents when their concerns are being ignored,” he said.
Vance also took the opportunity to criticise the press, accusing journalists of dishonesty. “When I said I created a story, I was talking about getting the media to focus on what’s happening in Springfield,” he clarified, a remark that received applause from the crowd.
Throughout his speech, Vance focused heavily on immigration, using a crime committed by an undocumented person in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, to bolster claims of rising immigrant-related crime.
“Every community is a border state,” he said, emphasising the reach of immigration issues nationwide.
Despite research showing that immigrants do not commit crimes at higher rates than native-born citizens, Vance used the incident to underscore his hardline stance on immigration.
“The problems that Kamala Harris has imported through that American southern border have now gone nationwide,” he said, blaming the vice president for the rise in immigration issues.
Vance also linked Harris to an apparent assassination attempt at Mar-a-Lago, saying Democrats’ rhetoric is endangering lives. “The American media, the Democrats, the Kamala Harris campaign—they’ve gotta cut this out or they’re gonna get somebody killed,” Vance warned, holding Democrats accountable for two attempts on Donald Trump’s life during his 2024 campaign.
In a sweeping attack on Harris, Vance painted a bleak picture of the US under her leadership, suggesting the country was nearing a nuclear conflict. “We are closer to a nuclear war, or a third world war, than at any time in our country’s history, and we have the chaos and incompetence of Kamala Harris to thank for it,” he said.
His remarks were met with approval from the crowd, with many attendees voicing support for his tough stance on immigration.
Victoria Bischel, a farmer and real estate business owner, praised Vance’s position. “I believe in immigration, but it has to be legal,” she said. “I don’t hop over the fence to Saudi Arabia and decide that I want to live there.”
Vance’s comments on immigration and his criticism of the media continue to dominate headlines as the Republican ticket seeks to rally support in key battleground states ahead of the 2024 election.
