Donald Trump on Monday backed his running mate JD Vance over past comments about “childless cat ladies,” which criticised Vice President Kamala Harris and have since gone viral.
Vance’s 2021 comments about Democrats resurfaced after Trump selected the Ohio senator as his running mate earlier this month. Harris is the likely Democratic Party presidential nominee for the Nov. 5 election following President Joe Biden’s decision to quit the race.
In an interview on Fox News, Republican presidential candidate Trump said he did not place a higher value on people with families. “You know, you don’t meet the right person, or you don’t meet any person. But you’re just as good, in many cases, a lot better than a person that’s in a family situation,” Trump said.
Trump said Vance, who had a tough upbringing in Ohio and was largely raised by his grandmother, was simply trying to show how much he values family life. “He grew up in a very interesting family situation, and he feels family is good. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong in saying that,” Trump said.
$10 million ad blitz
This interview comes as Trump’s campaign is expected to launch a $10 million advertising blitz in six battleground states this week as it tries to counter a surge of voter enthusiasm and donations for his Democratic rival. It is Trump’s biggest ad buy since January, when he was fighting off Republican rivals for the party’s nomination. Trump’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment, but the blitz comes as Harris’ candidacy has changed the race.
Since Joe Biden dropped out last week and endorsed Harris, she has rapidly consolidated support within the Democratic Party and from big-money donors. She has also sparked a newfound energy among groups such as young voters that Biden had been struggling to win over. After months of attacks on Biden’s fitness for office, Trump’s campaign has had to pivot to find a new message to use against Harris, 59, less than 100 days until the Nov. 5 election.
On Monday, Trump, 78, released an ad on his Truth Social platform using Harris’s own words from old interviews, campaign events and debates to try to portray her as an extreme liberal out of touch with everyday Americans. In response, Harris accused the Trump campaign of lying about her record. “Vice President Harris has been a key leader in working across the aisle to pass the Biden-Harris administration’s historic, popular agenda,” said Harris spokesperson Sarafina Chitika.
(With agency inputs)
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