JD Vance criticizes Kamala Harris policies at Berks County campaign rally

On Saturday afternoon, J.D. Vance stood on a stage beneath a pavilion at the Berks County Fairgrounds, a sea of ​​red and blue Trump-Vance signs held aloft by supporters behind him. He went on the attack.

The U.S. senator from Ohio and vice presidential candidate threw verbal jabs and uppercuts at Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, mocking her record and laughing at her plans.

For about 50 minutes, Vance told a crowd of hundreds of Berks County supporters why they didn’t want Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, in the White House.

“On November 5th, the American people, the people of Pennsylvania, are going to send the message that you fire Harris and Trump is coming back,” he said.

Vance is the first member of a presidential ticket Berks has visited so far this election cycle, and is holding a rally to drum up support for former President Donald Trump. His remarks focused more on what he sees as Harris’ shortcomings than on what he and Trump plan to do if elected, and offered few details about their proposals.

In his attack on Harris, Vance focused primarily on two areas: the economy and the southern border.

Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance speaks to a Berks County crowd Saturday at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

The rally, Vance said, was his second stop of the day. He had previously visited a grocery store elsewhere in Pennsylvania and said the prices he found there were far too high because of the Biden-Harris administration.

He said a dozen eggs cost almost $4, while when Trump was president the cost of eggs was about $1.50. He said the price of ground beef went from just under $4 a pound to $6 a pound because Harris cast the deciding vote on what he called the “Inflation Explosion Act.”

“She says on Day 1 she’s going to address the affordability crisis that’s hitting American families,” he said. “Kamala, Day 1 was 1,400 days ago. What have you been doing all this time?

“Stop talking about what you’re going to do and go out and do it.”

The US inflation rate was 2.5% at the end of August, the lowest level since February 2021. When President Joe Biden and Harris were sworn in in January 2021, the rate was 1.4%.

Vance said it’s not just grocery prices that are too high. Everything is more expensive, he said, and people can’t afford to pay for their basic needs because of Harris’ policies.

“Donald Trump believes in a very simple principle: If you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to get ahead in this country,” Vance said. “Isn’t that simple? That’s the American dream.”

Vance said one of the most crucial parts of the American dream is being able to afford your own home. And right now, housing prices are skyrocketing thanks to Kamala Harris’ policies, he said.

“Mortgage rates are the highest in a generation and many young Americans feel like they can’t afford a home in this country. I think that’s ridiculous,” he said.

Vance did not offer specific plans for what he and Trump would do to lower costs for consumers or reduce inflation.

He also attacked Harris over her and Biden’s handling of the southern border, saying the administration’s policies allowed 25 million illegal immigrants into the country.

“People who shouldn’t be here, people who are competing with you and your children to buy homes that should actually go to American citizens,” he said.

This comment elicited chants of “USA” from the enthusiastic crowd.

A Berks County crowd welcomes Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance Saturday at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Vance said illegal immigrants in small towns in America are a drain on precious resources, with the influx of people leading to overcrowded schools and hospitals.

Vance also blamed Biden and Harris’ border policies for drug trafficking from Mexico.

“This is something very personal for me, because my sons have been given a second chance to know their grandmother, because this is a wonderful and generous country,” he said.

Vance explained that he was raised by his grandmother because his mother had struggled with opioid addiction for much of his life. He said he remembers sitting at his mother’s bedside as a teenager, praying that she would wake up from the drugs she had taken.

He said his mother has now been sober for 10 years.

“There is hope on the other side,” he said. “There is hope for recovery, but only if we give people that second chance. And we are not going to give that second chance to millions of Americans if we continue to let these drug cartels use our country as a drug trafficking zone.”

According to immigration authorities, about 90 percent of illegal fentanyl is seized at official border crossings, and nearly all of it is smuggled by people who are legally allowed to cross the border. More than half is smuggled by U.S. citizens.

Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance thanks his fans after his speech Saturday at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Vance did not provide details about how the Trump administration would handle the southern border.

According to Vance, the most important quality of a president is the ability to handle a crisis.

He said Trump is the perfect candidate for president. He said his courage in the face of an assassination attempt in western Pennsylvania in July showed people his character.

“That shows who he is under fire, under literal fire,” he said. “What we want in the Oval Office is a person who is calm and cool under pressure, and that describes Donald Trump to a T.”

About halfway through the meeting, Vance wrapped up his remarks and began taking questions from the media. The question-and-answer session created a tense atmosphere, with members of the audience loudly booing members of the media and hurling insults such as “fake news” at them.

One of the most topical questions was about Vance sharing a debunked conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating neighbors’ pet cats and dogs. He was asked about comments he made last week about his willingness to spread false stories to gain media attention.

Vance said his initial reaction to the question was “boo,” which echoed the loud boos from the audience.

“Look, the media has lied and misrepresented this,” he said. “What I said is that people are creating media stories to draw people’s attention to what’s going on. Go to any community that has been overrun by Kamala Harris’ illegal alien policy and tell me these are stories that are made up by politicians.

“These are stories that people have been living through for months, or in some cases years,” he added. “All Donald Trump and I did was highlight and focus on these stories.”

Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance on Saturday at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance on Saturday at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

A Berks County crowd welcomes Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance Saturday at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Front-row seat attendees cheer on Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance Saturday at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance speaks to a Berks County crowd Saturday at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

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Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance on Saturday at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

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Springfield officials have repeatedly said they have no evidence that pets have been eaten. The attention focused on the issue, in part because of Vance and Trump’s repeated claims, has led to a flood of threats in the Springfield area, recently forcing schools there to close.

Harris’ campaign said Friday, ahead of Vance’s visit, that Democrats, Republicans and independents across Pennsylvania are rallying behind Harris. She wants to move the country forward and they are ready to put an end to the extreme policies of Trump and Vance.

“JD Vance comes to Pennsylvania as Republicans across the Commonwealth voice their support for Harris, including more than a dozen former senior national security officials who know Trump and know he is unfit to serve as commander in chief,” Onotse Omoyeni, the campaign’s director of Pennsylvania Rapid Response, said in a statement.