A Tale Of Two Stances: JD Vance's Evolution On Trump Allegations

By -

Ohio Senator JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, notably shifted his stance on Donald Trump's alleged sexual misconduct. In 2016, Vance repeatedly implied that he believed Trump had committed sexual assault. During a segment on MSNBC in October 2016, an interview was played with Jessica Leeds, a former salesperson who accused Trump of groping and forcibly kissing her during a flight in the 1970s. Vance found it difficult to believe Trump's denials over Leeds' accusations.

“At a fundamental level, this is a ‘he said, she said,’ right? And at the end of the day, do you believe Donald Trump, who always tells the truth? Just kidding,” Vance sarcastically remarked. “Or do you believe that woman on that tape?” he said, referring to Leeds.

By May 2023, Vance's stance had dramatically shifted as he moved from being an open critic to a loyal supporter of Trump. Following a jury finding Trump liable for sexual abuse against author E. Jean Carroll, Vance expressed unwavering support for his "friend" Trump. "I think fundamentally the lawsuit is about something that happened 25 years ago. It’s a ‘he said, she said’ situation. And I trust my friend and the guy that I’ve known and gotten to know,” Vance told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, months after winning his Senate race with Trump's endorsement.

Vance suggested that the lawsuit, and its funding, was politically motivated rather than a pursuit of justice. “They are trying to take him down for political reasons. That, to me, is not about justice, that’s not about discovering the truth. That’s about using the legal system instead of the political system to win a debate against Donald Trump.”

A spokesperson for Vance told CNN, “JD’s tweets and comments about President Trump from nearly a decade ago are old news that have been addressed numerous times since he entered the political world. They don’t reflect his views on President Trump today and haven’t for many years.”

Trump has consistently denied claims of sexual assault.

Vance’s defense of Trump marked a stark contrast to his remarks in 2016, after the leak of the “Access Hollywood” tape where Trump made lewd and sexually aggressive comments about women. In October 2016, Vance tweeted, “What percentage of the American population has @realDonaldTrump sexually assaulted?”

Although the tweet was deleted, its replies still exist, and it was later included in an opposition report by his super PAC in 2022 to highlight his potential vulnerabilities as a candidate. Deleted likes from Vance’s Twitter account, reviewed by CNN, also indicated he believed Trump’s accusers and those who criticized Trump as a “serial sexual assault[er].”

One liked post suggested, “Maybe the Central Park 5 could take out a full-page ad to condemn the coddling of thug real estate barons who commit serial sexual assault,” posted just after the “Access Hollywood” tape emerged. Another liked post from 2016 read, “I wish there was a 2nd Vice Presidential debate just to see @GovPenceIN deny that Trump said he grabbed p*ssy.”

In October 2016, Vance shared a Washington Post editorial by Russell Moore, then of the Southern Baptist Convention, criticizing Trump’s views on women.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Characters In BBC’s Documentary On TB Joshua Unknown To Us – Synagogue Church

By -
Image
  The Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN) has countered the BBC documentary on the late Temitope Babatunde Joshua, known as TB Joshua, founder of SCOAN. SCOAN described the documentary against TB Joshua as unfounded, and that the characters interviewed in the report were unknown to the church. The church, in a statement signed by its Public Affairs Director, Mr Dare Adejumo, said the statement was aimed at disabusing public minds from the report. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the BBC released a highly controversial and damning documentary on the late TB Joshua on Monday, accusing him of various crimes, including rape, against some members. SCOAN said, “BBC World Services investigative unit, code-named Africa Eye, came out this week with weird and strange episodes of atrocities against the late founder of SCOAN.” It said that to investigate and publish or broadcast reports was a central kernel of journalism, but to do so outside the ethics and fundamental principles
Read more

NBA Suspends Canada’s Joshua Primo For 4 Games For Exposing Himself To Women

By -
Image
  The NBA has suspended former San Antonio Spurs guard  Joshua Primo   for four games   ... after it says it found he exposed his private parts to multiple women. The league announced the ban on Friday morning ... saying an investigation into the free agent revealed he had "engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior." NBA officials called his actions "conduct detrimental to the league." They did, however, note that they "did not find evidence that he engaged in any sexual or other misconduct apart from these brief exposures." "Primo maintains that his conduct was not intentional," the league said. Dr. Hillary Cauthen , Primo's former therapist, was the first to  bring the allegations  against Primo to light after she claimed last fall that he exposed himself to her on nine separate occasions. Dr. Cauthen's attorney,  Tony Buzbee , alleged the Spurs were aware of Primo's actions, but didn't take action. Cauthen went on to file
Read more

Sky Sports' On-Air Mix-Up: Chelsea Players Mistakenly Introduced as Axel Disasi Instead of Noni Madueke in Carabao Cup Semifinal

By -
Image
 Sky Sports were left red-faced after an on-screen graphic mistakenly introduced Chelsea defender Axel Disasi as Noni Madueke on Tuesday night. The pair were both the scoresheet as the Blues thrashed Middlesbrough 6-1 at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final to boo their place at Wembley. But when Disasi spoke to Sky Sports after the game, an on-screen graphic introduced him as Madueke instead. Madueke is four years younger than his Chelsea teammate, plays in a different role and is English, while Disasi is French. Viewers immediately spotted the mistake and took to social media to flag up the glaring error.  Sky Sports with a huge mistake as that is Axel Disasi, not Noni Madueke,' another added, while a third described the gaffe as a 'howler'. A fourth commented: 'Sky sports calling Disasi Madueke. They’ve done it again.' Disasi scored Chelsea's third goal in the 6-1 rout, converting Raheem Sterling's cross at the far post after th
Read more