Donald Trump's VP contender JD Vance under fire over remarks on ex-POTUS accuser in resurfaced 2016 clip

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: As Sen JD Vance (R-OH) reportedly finds himself among the final contenders in Donald Trump’s vice-presidential shortlist, his past as a self-described “never Trump guy” is resurfacing and causing controversy.

Recently, Vance criticized the jurors in E Jean Carroll’s sexual assault lawsuit against Trump, calling them from “extremely left-wing jurisdictions.” However, his past comments suggest he might have believed Trump’s accusers. In a 2016 appearance on MSNBC's 'Hardball With Chris Matthews', Vance seemingly expressed belief in Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of groping her.

Past remarks come back to haunt JD Vance

In the resurfaced clip, Chris Matthews played a video of Jessica Leeds recounting her experience and then asked Vance for his thoughts. “And it’s sort of—it makes me think that at fundamental, this is sort of he said, she said, right? And at the end of the day, do you believe Donald Trump, who always tells the truth? Just kidding, or do you believe that woman on the tape,” Vance said, according to Mediate.

Matthews further questioned Trump’s explanation with, “How can he explain, 'Oh, yeah, I did that, I forget',” to which Vance responded, “Exactly.” Adding to the controversy, Vance previously liked a post on X, that accused Trump of “serial sexual assault,” per Raw Story. However, Vance has since shifted his stance, dismissing his earlier criticisms of Trump and deleting the like.

“Look, my view on Donald Trump—I have been very clear on this—is, look, I was wrong about him. I didn’t think he was going to be a good president, Dana, and I was very, very proud to be proven wrong. It’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to get him elected,” Vance said during a May appearance on CNN’s 'State of The Union' with Dana Bash.

Despite his efforts to align more closely with Trump, some GOP donors have expressed reservations about a Trump-Vance ticket. These doubts are allegedly rooted in Vance’s past remarks and perceived inconsistency in his support for Trump.

JD Vance faces scrutiny for previous anti-Trump stance

Social media users reacted to the resurfaced clips of JD Vance.

A social media user tweeted, "Funny how this works."

Another said, "3 GOP men that will say anything once offered money and power. Amazing how they "forget " what they said before."

One user claimed, "C’mon, let’s be fair. That was clearly pre-beard Vance."

"Men of principle," read a tweet.

"My bet is on Hannibal Lector," mocked a user.

"Liars and cowards make good company," penned a user.

"You say what you have to at the time. Just like Trump," chimed another.

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