'Is He Ready On Day One?': Trump Asked About Vance's 'Tough Couple Of Weeks' At NABJ Convention

last month

During the 2024 National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Chicago, IL, former President Donald Trump was asked about Sen. JD Vance's nomination to be VP and his readiness.

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Transcript

00:00Can we stay with just kind of the state of the race right now, because I felt like that

00:03vice president question, candidate question, was right in there with that.

00:09So let's talk about J.D. Vance for a little bit.

00:11He's had some stumbles out of the gate.

00:13I don't know if you're hearing what we hear as reporters, but it's been a tough couple

00:17of weeks for him.

00:19Why did you choose J.D. Vance?

00:22Why didn't I?

00:23Why did you choose him?

00:24And I'm having a hard time hearing, too.

00:25I know everybody out there can, but it's hard to hear.

00:27I'll tell you why I chose him, because he's a very strong believer in work and the working

00:35man and woman and especially the working man and woman who have been treated very unfairly,

00:41because you have many of them, many of them in this room.

00:44But you have many of those people.

00:45They were treated very unfairly.

00:47They worked very hard and they were treated unfairly.

00:50He wrote the book that became a bestseller.

00:53The movie became a smash hit.

00:57He's a very smart guy without the benefit of having a family that has contacts like

01:01a father that was well connected.

01:04He got into Yale Law School.

01:06He graduated in two years from Ohio State, summa cum laude.

01:10I mean, you take a look at, you know, his career has been an amazing career.

01:14He started off at a level with a difficult family situation, very difficult with the

01:21mother and the father and everything else.

01:24He ends up going to Yale Law School and was one of the top students, became the head of

01:28the law journal.

01:29I mean, that's an amazing thing.

01:31He went.

01:32He's a four year.

01:33He was in the military with great distinction for four years, got out, went into business,

01:39became successful in business, very successful in business, actually did public offerings

01:44and other things.

01:46And I, you know, I have to believe in that.

01:49I mean, he's somebody that was born in a rough situation.

01:52Most of the people know that situation because it was very well documented in his book.

01:57And I have a lot of respect for somebody that can get into Yale and become one of the best

02:02students in Yale that meets a young woman at Yale who was also outstanding and they

02:09get married.

02:10They have a beautiful family.

02:11But he had a you know, he's made himself an amazing life.

02:15He then gets goes to Ohio, lives in Ohio.

02:18And he had my endorsement that helped.

02:22But he wins the Senate.

02:23He becomes a United States senator.

02:26So he's a United States senator.

02:28And so, Harris, like, I respect you for your success.

02:32I respect people for their success.

02:34The reason I ask the question is because the last time you and I sat and talked was the

02:39day that you were shot.

02:41We've been together for much of that day.

02:42You left to go to Butler, Pennsylvania, and we didn't know what was next.

02:46And two days after that, I cannot understand your microphone.

02:50I know it is really hard.

02:52I mean, it's just I can understand you perfectly because she's closer.

02:55I can understand.

02:56I'm happy to hear that.

02:58But I can't understand.

02:59I have a few more questions because of the distance and the mics are really in lousy

03:04shape.

03:05But I cannot understand.

03:06So that's what you're saying.

03:09So what I wanted to say was the last time we spoke, you said some words that were prophetic

03:15because I asked you who you wanted to choose for vice president.

03:20And you said normally, it really wouldn't matter what they would bring.

03:23You know, you choose somebody that you think has a future, that sort of thing.

03:26But you said these words three and a half hours before an attempted assassination on

03:32your life.

03:33You told me that bad things happen, Harris, and that's why this decision is important

03:39this time.

03:40Bad things happen.

03:41You said it twice.

03:42When you look at J.D. Vance, is he ready on day one?

03:46Does he what?

03:47Ready on day one, if he has to be.

03:50I've always had great respect for him and for the other candidates, too.

03:55But I will say this, and I think this is well documented.

03:59Historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact.

04:04I mean, virtually no impact.

04:06You have two or three days where there's a lot of commotion as to who like you're having

04:10it on the Democrat side, who it's going to be.

04:12And then that dies down.

04:14And it's all about the presidential pick.

04:17Virtually never has it mattered.

04:19Maybe Lyndon Johnson mattered for different reasons of what we're talking about, not for

04:22vote reasons, but for political reasons, other political reasons.

04:25But historically, the choice of a vice president makes no difference.

04:31You're voting for the president and you can have a vice president who's outstanding in

04:36every way.

04:37And I think J.D. is.

04:38I think that all of them would have been.

04:40But but you're not voting that way.

04:43You're voting for the president.

04:44You're voting for me.

04:45If you like me, I'm going to win.

04:47If you don't like me, I'm not going to win.

04:48I'm going to get my J.D. Vance question in J.D. Vance.

04:52I'm going to get my J.D. Vance question.

04:54To your point and to Rachel's point, he, you know, has a lot of opinions about childless

05:01women like myself or divorce people like yourself.

05:05Do you think?

05:06Well, I mean, my point is, it was said in a friendly manner.

05:11My point is, do you think the party, the Republican Party is getting a little bit too judgy about

05:18people's lives when you think about abortion or when you think about what J.D. Vance is

05:23saying?

05:24I don't think.

05:25Look, I think that the Democrat Party is really the one that has the problem.

05:30I think they're radical on abortion because they are allowing abortion in the ninth month.

05:35They're allowing that.

05:36But I think they're allowing the death of a baby after the baby is born.

05:40Based on, sir, that's governor of Virginia, based on the governor of Virginia, they're

05:44allowing the death of the baby after it's born.

05:48They're allowing abortions in the eighth and ninth month.

05:50Well, Democrats have denied.

05:51I think they're right.

05:53And I think the Republican Party is actually much lesser.

05:55I think I've made them much less radical, perhaps.

05:58But the Republican Party, what we're doing is bringing it back to the states where everybody

06:02wanted it.

06:03Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservative, everybody wanted abortion brought back.

06:09They didn't want Roe v. Wade in the federal government.

06:12They wanted it.

06:13But the majority of Americans opposed Roe v. Wade being overturned.

06:17They don't know about this right now.

06:18They're voting.

06:19It brought it back to the states.

06:21Now, I happen to believe in the three exceptions.

06:24Ronald Reagan believed with rape, incest, life of the mother.

06:29I do.

06:30I think most people do.

06:31I think most Republicans do also.

06:33But if you take a look right now, they're doing it's an amazing thing out of the federal

06:38government.

06:39It's in states and people are voting.

06:41And I will say, Ohio is, let's say, let's call it a more liberal version has been approved.

06:48Kansas, the same thing, a little bit surprising to a lot of people.

06:51But the people are now voting and is taking this issue that's been going on for 52 years

06:57and has torn our country apart.

07:00And it's giving it to the people to vote on.

07:02And they're voting.

07:03And many states have already voted.

07:07Others are in the process of voting.

07:09And it's bringing it back to the people and a vote of the people.

07:12And it's not at all radical.

07:13And again, you have to follow your heart.

07:16I happen to believe in the three exceptions.

07:18Most people believe in the three exceptions.

07:20Most Republicans believe in the exceptions.

07:23But they don't want to see an abortion in the ninth month or the eighth month.

07:27Almost everybody agrees to that.

07:29And they certainly don't want to see in the case of the governor of Virginia, the former

07:33governor, I might add, who said, we set the baby aside and then we decide what to do,

07:40meaning what do we do?

07:41We execute the baby.

07:43That's a radical, horrible position.

07:45And some people, some people want that.

07:48I don't want it.

07:49Most.

'Is He Ready On Day One?': Trump Asked About Vance's 'Tough Couple Of Weeks' At NABJ Convention

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