During a podcast taping with conservative comedian Tim Dillon, Vance, clearly relaxed and speaking more freely than at public campaign events, made several inflammatory comments about foreign policy and Harris.
In likening the war in Ukraine to the potential for conflict in Taiwan, Vance said Ukraine is not as important to the U.S. because it “makes a lot of the computer chips.” Prompted by Dillon on what caused the war in Ukraine, Vance posed — and answered — his own question: “Did American diplomacy actually create conflict instead of diffusing conflict? In my view, it did.”
Later in the discussion Vance also took aim at American allies in Europe as Dillon questioned the U.S.’ relationship with NATO. “I mean, look, if I was a European country, in some ways, I would feel kind of pathetic. … Because these guys, they don’t even have their own countries anymore. They just do whatever the United States tells them to do,” he said.
He went further with rhetoric in the interview than he often does in public campaign appearances, and he made several remarks that run contrary to the constructed “Midwestern nice” and relatable persona he puts on for most media appearances.
Vance often attacks Harris on the stump, but his comments with Dillon took a particularly gendered tack. Right out of the gate, Vance took to mocking Harris for her laugh, describing it as awkward and not genuine.
“I’ve tried to, like, put my finger on what it is about Kamala Harris’, like, the very fraudulent laugh that I find so off-putting, and it’s like the laugh of somebody who just made you really uncomfortable,” Vance said.
Later in the conversation, Vance described Harris as not fun and generally unlikable — though he noted he has met her in person only once.
“There’s too much of a schoolmarm thing going on. I just don’t know,” he said.
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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