'What have you done?' JD Vance tears into Kamala Harris for questioning his loyalty to the US

ST CLOUD, MINNESOTA: Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance recently ripped into Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign speech, defending his patriotism while slamming Harris’s track record.

The speech was in response to an ad released by Harris, accusing Vance of prioritizing loyalty to Donald Trump over the country.

JD Vance's response to loyalty question

JD Vance, currently a Senator from Ohio, responded robustly to Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign ad during a speech in St Cloud, Minnesota.

The ad, which aired earlier in the month, claimed Vance would be “loyal only to Trump, not to our country.”

Vance addressed this accusation head-on, emphasizing his record of service and commitment to the United States.

“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,” he said.

Vance outlined his qualifications and contributions to the nation, aiming to counter Harris's claims. He highlighted his military service, business achievements, and the sacrifices made by his running mate, Trump.

“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. And my running mate took a bullet for this country,” he said. “So my question to Kamala Harris is, what the hell have you done to question our loyalty to the United States of America?”

Vance answered his rhetorical question by accusing Harris of having done “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,” he concluded.

Context of Kamala Harris’s ad as JD Vance’s past comments resurface

The ad JD Vance referred to was released on July 16, just a day after Donald Trump announced Vance as his running mate. In the video, Harris accused Vance of being merely a “rubber stamp” for Trump’s extreme policies.

She warned, “Make no mistake: JD Vance will be loyal only to Trump, not to our country,” and proceeded to critique his strict conservatism.

The clash between Vance and Harris is further complicated by resurfaced comments Vance made in 2021, where he questioned Harris's leadership abilities because she does not have biological children.

In a Fox News interview during his Senate campaign, Vance criticized Democratic leaders, saying that “we are effectively run in this country via the Democrats,” referring to them as “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.”

Vance included Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in this group. “How does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?” he asked.

Kamala Harris's campaign gains momentum

Kamala Harris’s campaign has been gaining momentum, especially following President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid.

She secured enough delegate support to become the official nominee within 32 hours of Biden's announcement.

There are concerns among strategists about Trump’s decision to choose Vance, who has limited experience in Congress and is relatively untested on the national stage. Despite these concerns, Trump has praised Vance, comparing him to “a young Abraham Lincoln.”

A recent Fox News poll shows Vice President Harris leading former President Trump in Minnesota, with 52% support compared to Trump’s 46%. Trump and Vance are set to continue their campaign efforts with a rally in Henderson, Nevada, scheduled for Tuesday.