In a recent video, Vice President Kamala Harris has accused JD Vance, the newly announced running mate of former President Trump, of being a mere "rubber stamp" for Trump's "extreme agenda."
This development comes just before Vance's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, following Trump's official nomination as the Republican presidential candidate and his selection of Vance as his vice presidential candidate.
According to Fox News, Harris stated in the video, "Trump looked for someone he knew would be a rubber stamp for his extreme agenda." She further warned, "Make no mistake: JD Vance will be loyal only to Trump, not to our country." The Vice President's comments followed a phone conversation with Vance after his nomination, as reported by the New York Post.
Harris also took issue with Vance's earlier comments made during an ABC News interview. Vance had stated that, if he were vice president at the time, he would not have certified the 2020 election until states submitted pro-Trump electors. He also expressed belief in unverified claims of election fraud in the 2020 election. "Unlike Mike Pence, Vance said he would have carried out Trump's plan to overturn the 2020 election," Harris pointed out.
The Vice President further criticized Vance for his stance on abortion and in vitro fertilization (IVF). During his 2022 Senate campaign, Vance had expressed support for a national abortion ban at 15 weeks, with certain exceptions such as protecting the life of the mother. He also voted against a Democrat-led bill aimed at safeguarding access to IVF, which was subsequently blocked by Senate Republicans. "He supports a national abortion ban and voted against protecting IVF," Harris said of Vance.
In her video, Harris also mentioned Project 2025, a contentious initiative organized by the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation. The project, authored by several conservatives, including some former Trump administration officials, provides right-wing policy recommendations for a potential Trump presidency. These include replacing civil service employees with Trump loyalists, abolishing the Department of Education, criminalizing pornography, eliminating DEI programs, cutting funding for Medicaid and Medicare, rejecting abortion as health care, and infusing the government with Christian values.
While Trump has attempted to distance himself from the initiative, it has been criticized as an authoritarian and Christian nationalist plan that could undermine civil liberties.
Harris warned, "And if elected, [Vance] will help implement the extreme Project 2025 plan for a second Trump term, which would target critical programs like Head Start and Medicare." She concluded with a defiant note, "But we are not going to let that happen."
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