
At a rally in St. Cloud, MN, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Donald Trump’s vice-presidential pick, responded forcefully to Kamala Harris’s recent comments questioning his loyalty to the country. Vance, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq, defended his patriotism and challenged Harris’s own contributions to the nation.
In a 45-second YouTube video posted on July 16, Harris accused Vance of being “loyal only to Trump, not to our country” and called him a “rubber stamp for [Trump’s] extreme agenda.” Vance, however, was not willing to let this criticism go unanswered.
“Now, I saw the other day Kamala Harris questioned my loyalty to this country. That’s the word she used; loyalty. And it’s an interesting word. Semper Fi: loyalty, because there is no greater sign of disloyalty to this country than what Kamala Harris has done at our southern border,” Vance said during the rally.
He highlighted his service in the Marine Corps and his deployment to Iraq, questioning Harris’s position to criticize his dedication. “And I’d like to ask the vice president, what has she done to question my loyalty to this country? I served in the United States Marine Corps. I went to Iraq for this country. I built a business for this country,” Vance stated.
Vance further emphasized that Trump, his running mate, had also made significant sacrifices for the country. “And my running mate took a bullet for this country. So my question to Kamala Harris is, what the hell have you done to question our loyalty to the United States of America?” he asked.
Vance accused Harris of failing to address critical issues, particularly at the southern border, and covering up President Joe Biden’s mental decline. He called out Harris’s lack of tangible achievements during her tenure as vice president. “And the answer, my friends, is nothing. So let’s send a message to the media. Let’s send a message to Kamala Harris. Let’s send a message to every hardworking patriot from Minnesota across the country. We are ready to have President Donald J. Trump back, and we’re going to work our tails off to make sure it happens,” Vance concluded.
Polls indicate that while the race has tightened since Biden withdrew from his reelection campaign and Harris became the presumptive nominee, Trump remains ahead in several swing states. Vance’s remarks underscore his role as a vocal advocate in the campaign, setting the stage for a fiery debate with Harris’s vice-presidential pick.