Vance tells ABC the Trump-Kamala debate ‘didn’t talk about nearly enough’

Shortly after Tuesday’s presidential debate, hosted by ABC News, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) indicated he felt the event fell short.

Vance shared his criticism in a brief appearance on ABC during programming following the race between former President Donald Trump, who had selected Vance as his running mate, and Vice President Kamala Harris.

.@JDVance: “This debate hasn’t talked nearly enough about the fact that Americans are struggling because they can’t afford groceries, they can’t afford housing, and their children are dying of fentanyl overdoses because Kamala Harris let the Mexican drug cartels take over… photo.twitter.com/dN8r2R3nvV

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 11, 2024

“This debate hasn’t talked nearly enough about the fact that Americans are struggling because they can’t afford groceries, they can’t afford housing, and their children are dying of fentanyl overdoses because Kamala Harris let the Mexican drug cartels take over the southern border,” Vance said.

“This is a disgrace what’s happening in our country,” he continued, adding, “… and we could do so much better if we just had better leadership. We have the best workers, the greatest country, the greatest natural resources, but Kamala Harris’ leadership is squandering the great assets of this country. That’s why we need to go back to Donald Trump’s leadership.”

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Harris and Trump clashed over issues including abortion, the economy, national security and border security. The moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, drew fierce criticism from the right for questioning Trump’s claims but failing to do the same kind of fact-checking against Harris.

After the ABC debate, Harris’ team called for a second showdown in October. Trump responded on Fox News by saying that Harris wanted a second debate “because she lost.” When asked by host Sean Hannity if he would agree to a rematch, Trump said he might be inclined to do it “if it was on a fair network.” Trump previously suggested three debates, but Harris would only agree to one.

Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, Trump’s co-campaign managers, said in a statement after the debate that people “watched President Trump lay out his bold vision for America and how he would build on the successes of his first term by boosting the economy, securing the border and stopping crime that is plaguing communities across the country.”

They also said: “Conversely, Kamala’s vision for America was a dark reminder of the oppressive, big government policies Joe Biden wants to continue. High inflation, a porous border that allows criminals and terrorists to flow across en masse, and being soft on crime — that’s what Kamala stands for.”