U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance speaks at a rally in south Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024 (Photo by Peter Hall/Capital-Star)
Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, urged voters on Sunday to take their friends and family to the polls on Tuesday to “vote 10 times the legal way,” but Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. was a no-show at the rally in Delaware County.
The event in Aston Township, at the same venue where Harris held a town hall last month, was billed to feature Vance and Trump Jr., but the former president’s son, who has been a regular surrogate on the campaign trail, did not appear in broadcasts of the event.
Other speakers included Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, U.S. Sen. Bill Haggery (R-Tennessee) and Pennsylvania Republican Party chairperson Lawrence Tabas. A Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question about Trump Jr.’s absence.
In his remarks, which lasted about 25 minutes, Vance covered familiar topics of criticism for Vice President Kamala Harris and her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, saying that Walz has the toughest job in American politics.
“You have had, I’m sure, tough days at work. Your hands hurt, your back’s tired, but think about it. You have never had to go out there and try to convince the American people that Kamala Harris can be the President of the United States. That’s tough,” Vance said.
Vance said by comparison he may have the easiest job in politics because he can compare Trump’s tenure as president with that of the Biden-Harris administration, claiming that the nation’s economy was better for workers under Trump.
The nation’s economy is, in fact, doing well, but the Trump campaign has focused on energy and food prices that have not rebounded from inflation driven increases following the pandemic.
Vance also criticized the current administration’s border policies, touting Trump’s promises to close the border and conduct mass deportations
“If you came into this country illegally, pack your bags, because in three months you’re going back home. It’s that simple,” Vance said.
Pennsylvania voters have availed themselves of opportunities to cast their ballots early in large numbers again this election, with nearly 1.8 million mail and absentee ballots returned, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s daily report Sunday.
The report shows the number of Republican voters who have returned ballots lags about 400,000 behind the number returned by Democratic voters, with more than 200,000 returned by unaffiliated voters.
“You know, Pennsylvania, that’s the first time where I think we’ve got more people who haven’t voted early, more people who plan to vote on Election Day, and that’s fine. We got November the fifth. We got to get to the polls,” Vance told the audience. “But here’s what I want you to do. I don’t want you to just vote for yourself and for your family. I want every single person here to get out there and vote 10 times.”
Vance said that statement would probably draw media accusations that he was endorsing large-scale election fraud, but he told the crowd they needed to go to the polls and take nine friends or family members with them. He also did not appear to be aware that Pennsylvania law does not allow “early voting” as some other states do.
“Look, we got to make this election in Pennsylvania too big to rig,” he said. “That is the plan. We want to get so many voters that no matter what garbage the Democrats pull in the final stretches, no matter how many lies they try to circulate through the American media, that we make sure that the American people get a president who’s fit to lead the greatest country in the world.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was on the campaign trail in Philadelphia on Sunday, had some harsh criticism for Vance and Trump, who held a rally in Lititz on Sunday morning.
“My hope is that Donald Trump stops lying about our system, because every time he lies about it, it stokes up all kinds of bulls–t online, all kinds of conspiracy theories,” Shapiro told reporters “His sidekick, J.D. Vance tries to amplify them with his own nonsensical rhetoric. Here’s the deal, how about you appeal to Pennsylvanians based on what you might do to help make their lives better? How about you go and run your race, as opposed to lying about our fellow Pennsylvanians, who are working their tails off to just administer an election in a free and fair manner?”
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