Vance's Remarks to the Press
Vance displayed his stunt to the cameras on Wednesday this week. As the press was gathering outside of Air Force Two in hopes of getting a glimpse of presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, he stepped in for a few moments in the spotlight.
Source: @RealMartyT7/X
He made some quick remarks about Harris not openly answering questions to the press despite no formal statement being called. The Republican VP nominee remarked, “I figured that I would come by and get a good look at the plane because hopefully it’s going to be my plane in a few months. I also thought you guys may get lonely, because the VP doesn’t answer questions from reporters.”
Harris's Campaign Quickly Responded
As they have for the past two weeks, the Democratic camp responded by calling the Republican nom a “weirdo.”
Source: @RonFilipkowski/X
Amma Moussa, a spokesperson for the Harris camp, told press, “Just to clarify, JD Vance is flying around the country following Vice President Harris. He approached her plane today because he just wants to talk. And now he’s begging her for a debate? This is getting weird.”
The Meme Campaign
Harris’s media team responded on @KamalaHQ, the official social media handle for the VEEP across all social media platforms responded quickly to the troll comments with their own snarky quip.
Source: @archivekamala/X
A video shows Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), speaking and shaking hands with kids present for a meet-and-greet at the airport in Wisconsin. Then, as the official Trump/Vance plane arrives on the tarmac, a popular voiceover on TikTok and Instagram says, “All of a sudden, I hear this agitating, grating voice.”
A Hail Mary Shot to Embarrass the VEEP
Although Vance won the Republican seat in his own district of Ohio just two years ago, his popularity as a potential vice president pick has been waning.
Source: Ralph Branson/Wikimedia
Just last week, he was polling at -6, which means that out of a group of 100, 6 more people disapprove of him than a total number of people who do approve of him.
Vance May Be Attempting to Intimidate the Harris Team
Vance’s behavior seems to be quite out of the ordinary for usual campaigning efforts. Some experts suspect that Vance feels threatened by the Democrat ticket and is willing to do anything to try and intimidate them.
Source: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
As previously mentioned, Vance’s plane has been deliberately flying to the same stops as Harris’s team, effectively stalking her campaign trail and picking up straggling support. If the odd behavior gets to Harris, she hasn’t shown it yet; instead, she has chosen to continue her campaign trail as usual and not address Vance directly outside of a planned debate stage.
Other Dems Taking Cracks at Vance
A former Representative for Wyoming, Liz Cheney (R), weighed in on Vance’s choice to directly approach Air Force Two on the tarmac.
Source: @ArtCandee/X
She made a quick dig at the size of Vance’s small crowds at his recent rallies. She reposted a photo of Vance walking away from Harris’s plane with about a dozen people and said, “Looks like @JDVance brought all his rally attendees to the airport with him today,” she wrote.
Harris Campaign Also Active on TruthSocial
TruthSocial is a popular social media platform that allows certain speech that doesn’t cut X or Instagram.
Source: Wikimedia
Although most of the user base is right-leaning or alt-right, the Harris campaign uses all the tools at its disposal. They posted on the platform partially owned by former Pres. Trump to make a similar dig at the size of his small crowds at official campaigning events compared to her own star-studded rallies.
Trump's Campaign Weighs in
Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, weighed in on the event this Wednesday. He responded to Vance’s post on X, saying, “Make sure AF2 is deep cleaned because Lord only knows what Kamala Harris and her team have done on there.”
Source: @NotHoodlum/X
“The smell alone on that plane must be crazy,” Cheung added. The post garnered criticism that the “smell” comment was racially motivated as Harris is half Indian.
Vance's Comments to the Press
In recent days, as Harris has gained more support and momentum, her rallies have looked clean-cut and professional. However, Vance has criticized her and her team for not holding a press conference or unscripted events.
Source: Wikimedia
“Have they given you guy’s explanations about why she hasn’t answered questions,” Vance asked remarked to the press while standing in front of Air Force Two. “Well I hope she changes her mind because it would be good for the American people and for all of you if she ran a real campaign instead of one from her basement and a teleprompter.”
Republicans Say: Disgraceful
Vance added that Harris’s behavior in recent days, campaigning and meeting potential voters, is “just disgraceful.”
Source: @KamalaHarris/X
The current VEEP has not sat down for any interviews or taken any questions at press conferences. However, now that Harris is the official Democratic nominee, her image will be controlled by her team more to appear as presidential as possible.
A Reporter Dug in Deeper
While Vance was walking away from Air Force Two with his posse, a reporter dug in and asked what he wanted to see Harris answer for.
Source: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia
He replied, “I’d love her to answer what she wants to do and also explain why every position she has ever had has changed,” pointing to the fact that Harris, a former district county prosecutor, now calls for defunding the police and open borders.