JD Vance delivers a strong message to the radicals: ‘Stay the hell away from our kids’

DALLAS, TEXAS: Vice President JD Vance, on Thursday, September 10, the second day of the first-ever Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, spoke out strongly about family, telling would-be adversaries who would like to destroy America's families to "stay the hell away from our kids."

He began with a recollection of his own family and then moved on to the subject of family in general and its importance to the American way of life.

JD Vance delivers a simple yet strong message to those who wish to 'abolish' families

Vance opened the segment with a personal reflection on his own family.

"A couple of weeks ago, witnessed the wonder of a new baby's very first smile," he told the crowd.

"It's inside of that family where I've seen Usha show in almost divine patience with those four kids," he added.

The vice president then delivered the sharper portion of the message: "And so to the radicals who wish to abolish my family and the thousands and millions of other families all across our country, we have a simple message for them: stay the hell away from our kids."

Vance’s comments came against the backdrop of the convention’s broader focus on family policy and culture, issues that have been major themes of his speeches since he took office.

Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, have four children, and Vance has often spoken publicly about his family, as well as his overall political and policy positions.

JD Vance criticizes the Democratic record

Vance also used the speech to criticize the Democratic Party's record, claiming that its leadership in recent years has left the country in a weaker and less secure economic position.

"That legacy of the last few years was that they bankrupted our country and left us poor,” Vance said. "They left our country weaker; they left our border wide open, and our communities less safe. Their record, my friends, speaks for itself."

He claimed that rather than shifting course, Democrats have moved even further towards more radical positions, saying, "And rather than admit error and change course, of course, they are doubling down on the crazy."

"And primary after primary, we have watched the few reasonable Democrats lose to extremists who openly hate our nation," he said.

The comments come on the heels of a number of recent public appearances in which Vance has taken on a larger role in the administration's message, especially in advance of the November midterm elections, often mixing reflections on his own or his family's life with more pointed criticisms of Democratic opponents. 

The Democratic National Committee and individual Democratic lawmakers did not immediately respond to Vance's remarks.