In response to Donald Trump refusing to say if his historically unpopular VP nominee JD Vance is ready to lead, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: 

“The American people already knew JD Vance wasn’t fit to lead, and now it’s clear Donald Trump agrees with them. Vance’s first weeks on the ticket have been such a complete disaster that Trump resorted today to downplaying his own VP pick and refusing to answer if Vance is up to the job of president. Vance is the most unpopular VP nominee in decades because he is an out-of-touch, ultra-MAGA creep who wants to rip away freedoms, threaten our democracy, and pursue a far-right Project 2025 agenda. Trump was the one bombing on stage during his interview in Chicago today, but even when he’s nowhere to be found, Vance is still a massive liability for the ticket.” 

NEW: Donald Trump refused to say if JD Vance is ready to lead on day one.

Harris Faulker, Fox News: “When you look at JD Vance, is he ready on day one?”

Trump: “Is he what?”

Faulkner: “Ready on day one if he has to be?”

Trump: “I’ve always had great respect for him. And for the other candidates too. But I will say this, and I think this is well documented; Historically, the vice president in terms of the election does not have any impact, I mean virtually no impact.”

Vance’s first two weeks as Donald Trump’s running mate have been a complete disaster.

Vox: “J.D. Vance has made it impossible for Trump to run away from Project 2025”

New Republic: “Project 2025 Leader Is Overjoyed by Trump’s Vice Presidential Pick”

CNN: “JD Vance said in 2022 he ‘would like abortion to be illegal nationally’”

CNN: “It’s not just ‘cat ladies’: JD Vance has a history of disparaging people without kids”

ABC News: “Vance argued for higher tax rate on childless Americans in 2021 interview”

NBC News: “JD Vance doubles down on ‘childless cat ladies’ dig: ‘I’ve got nothing against cats’”

Washington Post: “Vance urged DOJ to enforce Comstock Act, crack down on abortion pills”

The Hill: “Some House Republicans slam Vance as Trump’s VP pick: ‘The worst choice’”

The Hill: “Republican senators divided over Trump sticking with Vance”

Axios: “Some Republicans express buyer’s remorse over Vance VP pick”

New Republic: “Is J.D. Vance the Worst Vice Presidential Pick Ever?”

CNN: “Vance confronts upheaval and uncertainty in first 10 days as Trump’s running mate”

Vance is making history as the most disliked VP nominee our country has seen in decades – and many Americans don’t think he’s ready to lead.

Newsweek: “JD Vance Is the Least Liked VP Nominee in Decades, According to Polls”

“JD Vance is the first non-incumbent vice presidential nominee to have a net-negative favorable rating after a convention since 1980, according to poll numbers.”

Salon: “‘Making history in the completely wrong way’: JD Vance is really unpopular and ‘dragging Trump down’”

“Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, is making history as Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate, but not in the way that the Trump campaign had hoped. According to a CNN survey taken after the Republican National Convention, Vance has an approval rating of -6 points, making him the first vice presidential nominee to enter the general election with a negative rating since 1980.

“‘Frankly, I don’t really understand the pick, and apparently neither do the American voters,’ CNN data analyst Harry Enten said on Tuesday’s OutFront with Erin Burnett. Vance, he said, is ‘dragging Trump down.’”

Newsweek: “Nearly four in 10 people do not believe Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, is ready for the presidency if necessary, according to a new survey.

“The poll also found that one-third (33 percent) were not sure if Vance was ready for the presidency or not. This is a possible sign that the Hillbilly Elegy author, who has been a senator for less than two years, still needs to raise his national political profile since being named as the Republican vice presidential nominee.

“It has already been suggested that Trump may have made a mistake in picking Vance as his 2024 running mate.”