Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) stated on Sunday that his previous statements about former President Trump before the 2016 election were “wrong.”
CNN’s Dana Bash questioned Vance about a tweet he shared in 2016 when the “Access Hollywood” tape of Trump reemerged. The tweet said, “Fellow Christians, everyone is watching us. When we apologize for this man, lord help us.”
She inquired if he still holds the same opinion about Trump’s “sexual indiscretions” in light of the ongoing hush money trial, and highlighted that he has deleted the tweet since then.
“But, my perspective on Donald Trump, I have been very clear about this, is, look, I was wrong about him. I didn’t think he was going to be a good president, Dana, and I was very, very proud to be proven wrong. It’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to get him elected,” he responded on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Vance had expressed opposition to Trump’s candidacy in 2016, leading Ohio Republicans in 2022 to advise Trump not to endorse the Ohio Republican. Vance ultimately gained Trump’s support and secured victory in his election. not to endorse the Ohio Republican. Vance ended up clinching Trump’s support and winning his election.
Vance is among the potential contenders to be the former president’s running mate in the 2024 election. He and Trump have now been vocal supporters of each other since Vance first ran for election in 2022.
Vance also addressed the ongoing hush money trial, stating that Trump is not facing charges for “sexual indiscretions.”
“First of all, Donald Trump is not on trial for sexual indiscretions. This is a sham trial where they’re alleging that his wrongdoing is that he violated the law, that he committed a crime,” he commented.
“You can’t imprison someone in the middle of a presidential election because you believe that he did something wrong 10 years ago. So I think we need to differentiate these arguments from the actual criminal trial that’s attempting to, in my opinion, interfere in a presidential election,” he stated.
The former president faces 34 charges related to falsifying business records in connection to a reimbursement made to his former fixer, Michael Cohen, for a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair before the 2016 election.
