Vice President JD Vance questioned congressional Democrats’ patriotism after they opted to stay seated during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address when asked if they agree that the first duty of the government is to protect American citizens over illegal immigrants.
The vice president said he believed most Americans, irrespective of political affiliation, are good people and “love” the nation.
“But I got to tell you, after the State of the Union, I’m not so sure that is true of the congressional Democrats that we saw at the State of the Union address,” Vance said Thursday afternoon in Wisconsin.
“As the president of the United States said, very well, you watch their reaction to some of what he was saying, and all I could think was, ‘These people are kind of crazy, these congressional Democrats,’” Vance continued.
Conservatives, including Vance, have repeatedly condemned Democrats for refusing to stand when Trump asked members of Congress to stand if they agreed with the statement, “the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
REPUBLICANS ROLL OUT FIRST AD PINNING DEMOCRATS FOR NOT STANDING DURING STATE OF THE UNION
Vance also cited the story of Dalilah Coleman, who was injured in a car crash caused by an illegal immigrant and attended the Tuesday night address with her father, Marcus Coleman. “But you got to ask yourself, ladies and gentlemen, what is it about a political party that cannot stand up and cheer for a 6-year-old girl who survived an attack?” Vance asked.
The GOP is hoping the incident will give Republicans inroads with voters over immigration, after the public soured over the illegal immigration crackdown in Minnesota that resulted in two American citizens being killed by law enforcement.
“The State of the Union should have shown us that we cannot give power back to congressional Democrats,” Vance warned.
In a light-hearted moment, Vance also joked about not inadvertently creating a viral moment during the State of the Union as he sat behind the president. “I’ve got one internal monologue going on, one thought in my head the whole time, which is, don’t make a stupid face for two hours, which is hard for me when you’re on TV for two hours and the Democrats are doing crazy things.”
Vance’s comments came as he spoke to supporters at the Precision Manufacturing Facility in Plover, part of Wisconsin’s competitive 3rd Congressional District, represented by Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), who is seeking reelection.
Democrats are hoping to flip Van Orden’s seat after he narrowly won reelection in 2024. But Vance repeatedly defended the congressman’s economic record, a key issue for voters, on Thursday.
“So if you are a citizen in this district, and you see a big tax refund check come next month or the month after that, whenever you file your taxes, remember it was Derrick Van Orden who made it happen, and it was congressional Democrats who tried to stop it,” Vance said. “So we’re going to send Derrick Van Orden back to Washington.”
Vance’s visit to Wisconsin, a battleground state, comes one day before Trump will travel to Corpus Christi, Texas, to deliver a speech on the economy and energy. The White House is seeking to capitalize on Trump’s positively received speech ahead of the midterm elections.
VANCE SAYS HE HOPES IRANIANS TAKE NEW ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE US SERIOUSLY
“President Trump and his incredible Cabinet will take the commonsense, popular message laid out during the State of the Union to every corner of our great country in the days, weeks, and months ahead,” White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said.
“They will tout the policies that were highlighted in the President’s historic speech like the largest middle-class tax cuts in history, massively lowering prescription drug costs, banning members of Congress from trading stocks, waging war against fraud, and fighting to make everyday life more affordable for working families,” Huston added.
