Vance aims to ‘meet as many people as possible’ to expand Trump support

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) said Tuesday that his strategy on the campaign trail is to “meet as many people as possible” ahead of the election to ensure a victory for Republicans.

Vance, former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate, was asked about polling data indicating his favorability among voters is behind Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), and what that means for reaching voters who are still undecided. The Ohio senator dismissed the data, arguing he is using a different approach to voters than the Democratic ticket.

“We don’t do the scripted stuff, we don’t only speak in front of a teleprompter,” Vance said on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle. “We actually like to get out there and give some unscripted remarks, some press conferences, and also just go out there and talk to people, and that’s what I’m going to keep on doing, Laura. I don’t put much stock in the polls, even the polls that show us ahead, and there are a lot of those these days. What I put stock in is the wisdom of the American people and the fact that if we go out there, make our case, don’t hide behind the teleprompter but get out there and meet people, the American people are going to elect me and Donald Trump.”

Vance also expressed a desire to improve military recruitment, warning that the military is “on the brink of serious readiness issues.” He contended that many people do not want to fight for a country led by Harris and argued the nation needs “strong leadership” to improve recruitment levels.

The Republican vice presidential nominee also rebuked Walz over his recent dodging of a question related to the six hostages held by Hamas who died over the last week. He said the chaos happening across the world is the opposite of what happened under Trump’s leadership, arguing that is one of the biggest selling points for the former president's 2024 campaign.

“How can we possibly expect her to sit in a room with Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping or the leaders of the world?” Vance asked. “She’s terrified to sit for a friendly interview, Laura. We cannot trust this person to negotiate on behalf of this country, and she will blunder us into a third world war if the American people give her a promotion. That’s why we have to bring back Donald Trump."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Ohio senator has been very critical of Harris’s leadership in the Biden administration, stating that the vice president can “go to hell” over the United States’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Vance made the comment specifically about her criticism of Trump for visiting Arlington National Cemetery last week to console the Gold Star families of 13 servicemembers killed in the withdrawal.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), a former Trump rival in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, has also defended the former president's visit, stating “he was invited” by the families to attend the ceremony. He also questioned why some people are more angry at Trump's visit than the deaths of the 13 servicemembers under the Biden administration's watch.