Vance makes post-convention VP debut at Trump rally in Michigan

Grand Rapids: In his first campaign event since former President Donald Trump anointed him the Republican vice-presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio attacked Vice President Kamala Harris for her role in the border crisis as he tried to appeal to voters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday.

After criticizing Harris for doing little, in his view, to benefit Americans beyond collecting a check, Vance sarcastically said he would give the vice president credit for one thing.

“She did serve as border czar during the biggest disaster open border we’ve ever had this country,” Vance said. “Let’s get President Trump back there, close down that border and bring some common sense of security to this country.”

Saturday’s rally was Vance’s first major test since Trump chose him for the Republican ticket — his debut at one of Trump’s signature rallies as a running mate rather than as a staunch supporter.

His remarks — which at 13 minutes, lasted just a small fraction of a standard Trump speech — helped illustrate the benefits the Trump campaign hopes Vance will bring to the ticket as he tries to appeal to blue-collar and middle-class voters in key Rust Belt states.

Following the contours of his address to the Republican convention Wednesday, Vance recounted his blue-collar roots in Ohio as he attacked the Biden administration for making it harder for people of his background to succeed.

“What is this campaign about if not restoring the American dream for every child in this country?” Vance, a father of three, asked a crowd of at least 1,000 people in Van Andel Arena. “I want your kids to have the same blessed life that I have.”

Much of Vance’s speech echoed Trump’s familiar talking points, hardly a surprise given their close political allegiance. Vance attacked the Biden administration’s handling of the border, arguing, as Trump has, that it was time to “make America safe again.” He backed Trump’s protectionist trade policies and encouraged Americans to examine whether they preferred living under Trump’s or Biden’s leadership.

And Vance — who rose to prominence as a media darling who helped explain Trump’s appeal to working-class voters even as he denounced it — attacked the press as “radical” and “dangerous” over its depictions of Trump.

Vance, just five days into his role as a vice-presidential nominee, seemed genuinely awed by the response from the crowd, making off-the-cuff asides about the reception he was getting, particularly as an Ohio resident in the rival state of Michigan.

“I’ve got to be honest,” Vance said, standing at a lectern adorned with a new “Trump Vance 2024” sign as the crowd waved placards with his name on them. “It’s still a little bit weird to see my name on those signs.”

Danny Shultz, a student from Kalamazoo, Michigan, said he had not heard of Vance, 39, until Trump picked him.

But, he said, he thought Trump made a logical choice: “a younger, more mellow guy” who could balance out Trump, who at 78 is double Vance’s age. Shultz added that he thought Vance’s speech in Grand Rapids played on his humble background in just the right amount.

“I liked how he kept his own experience at the forefront without being obnoxious about it,” Shultz said.