JD Vance made his first visit to the Pittsburgh area since becoming Donald Trump’s running mate, stopping at the VFW Post 92 in Lower Burrell on Friday.
Senator Vance was joined by Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), Brian Mast (R-FL), and Michael Waltz (R-FL) as he addressed a supportive, invite-only crowd of former veterans.
JD Vance heads to VFW Post 92 New Kensington, PA. Will be joined by Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), Brian Mast (R-FL), and Michael Waltz (R-FL).
Watch LIVE on C-SPAN 10am https://t.co/tzELmDV6Kl pic.twitter.com/RZ2bgs8ZvK— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) August 15, 2024
Vance opened his remarks by asking for those in attendance to observe a moment of silence for the 13 service members killed during the chaotic exit from Kabul, Afghanistan in 2021. Republicans have been extremely critical of the Biden-Harris administration’s plan surrounding the Afghanistan withdrawal, and Vance blamed Biden and Kamala Harris for the death of those troops “in the most disgraceful way,”
Vance also called out his counterpart Governor Tim Walz for stretching the truth in regard to his military service – a controversy that has followed Walz since he was announced as the Democrat’s vice-presidential nominee.
“We’re not attacking his honorable service. We are attacking the dishonesty about that service. That is not honorable. That is the height of dishonor. And Tim Walz should not be the Vice President of the United States because of it,” Vance said.
Vance discussed how a Trump-Vance administration would protect veterans including getting them access to critical healthcare, pointing to efforts in Trump’s first term to make the Department of Veterans more efficient. He also contrasted Trump’s support of veterans versus the Biden-Harris administration which prioritized care for illegal aliens.
“We’ve got 300,000 veterans who are homeless in this country right now. Let’s take care of them first and leave the illegal aliens to their own countries,” Vance said.
Following his remarks in Lower Burrell, Vance stopped by the popular Oakmont Bakery in neighboring Allegheny County.
Following his remarks in New Kensington, PA at the VFW Post 92 — Vice Presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance visits a bakery in Oakmont, PA pic.twitter.com/mTfZTGNg2W
— Hannah Demissie (@hannahdemissie) August 15, 2024
Pennsylvania is critical to either party’s hopes of securing the White House in November and has been getting outsized attention from both parties.
Now that we have a bit more state polling of the Harris-Trump matchup … Pennsylvania back to being by far the most important state. pic.twitter.com/brj8YJlgD3
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) August 2, 2024
A day after Vance appeared in western Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump was in the northeastern part of the state for a rally in Wilkes-Barre. Presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz also appeared for a pre-DNC bus tour with multiple stops across the Pittsburgh region on Sunday. And lastly, Vance was scheduled to appear for campaign events in the Philadelphia area on Monday afternoon.
