In response to JD Vance hitting the airwaves this morning to loyally defend Donald Trump’s appalling threats to the American people and our democracy, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: 

“JD Vance made it clear this morning that the Trump-Vance ticket’s closing pitch to voters is focused on attacks against his fellow Americans and threats of unchecked power for Donald Trump if he’s given a second term. Those who know Trump best are warning the American people about the danger he poses to our democracy. In the final days of this race, Vance is proving to voters that he won’t be a check on Trump’s unbridled ambition to be a ‘dictator’ on ‘day one,’ but instead will defend Trump’s appalling rhetoric, attacks on the American people as the ‘enemy from within,’ and dangerous threats to use the military to go after US citizens.”

JD Vance attempted to lie about and cover for Donald Trump’s “enemy from within” comments…

Jake Tapper, CNN: “[Trump] wants to use the military to go after ‘the enemy within,’ which is the American people.”

Vance: “He did not say that, Jake! He said that he was going to send the military after the American people? Show me the quote where he said that.”

[…]

Tapper: “This is what he said to Joe Rogan on Friday, the enemy within, that he wants the military to go after – we have people that are really bad people that I really think want to make this country unsuccessful. That’s what that enemy within is.”

Vance: “Did he say that he wants to use the military against those people?”

Tapper: “He said he wants to use the military to go after the enemy within.”

Vance: “Here’s the game that you’re playing.”

Tapper: “I’m not playing a game.”

Vance: “No, no, no. Let me — can I answer the question please? He said that he wanted to use the military to go after far-left lunatics who were rioting. And he also called them the enemy within. He separately, in a totally different context and a totally different context, in a totally different conversation, said that Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff were threats to this country.”

[…]

Tapper: “He said they were the enemy within.”

… before confirming he does “agree with” Trump and attacking American citizens as a bigger threat than any “foreign adversary”…

Kristen Welker, NBC: “Donald Trump recently called his domestic political opponents, quote, ‘the enemy from within,’ and said they are more dangerous than Russia and China. Do you believe that people like Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi are more dangerous than Russia and China?”

Vance: “Well, I think what Donald Trump said is that those folks pose a greater threat to the United States’ peace and security, because America is strong enough to stand up to any foreign adversary.”

Welker: “Do you agree with him, they pose a larger threat to the United States than Russia and China?”

Vance: “What he said, and I do agree with this, what he said, is that the biggest threat we have in our country, it’s not a foreign adversary, because we can handle these guys.”

… and saying “of course” Trump’s plan to put American citizens before a war tribunal doesn’t sound “fascistic” to him.

Tapper: “Liz Cheney, he said, should be put before a war tribunal. None of that sounds fascistic to you at all?”

Vance: “No, of course, it doesn’t.”

Tapper: “Putting Liz Cheney before a military tribunal?”

Vance: “First of all, I don’t buy into the premise of what you’re saying, Jake.”

Tapper: “These are things he said!”

[…]

Vance: “I’m rejecting the premise of your question. I frankly don’t believe what you’re saying about Donald Trump’s words.”

When asked if he’d do what Mike Pence did and put our democracy over Trump, Vance REFUSED to answer.

Vance: “I don’t think there’s inconsistency between loyalty to the Constitution and support for Donald Trump.”

[…]

Kristen Welker: “Mike Pence says Trump asked him to put Trump over the Constitution. If you find yourself in a similar position one day, will your loyalty be to the Constitution or to Donald J. Trump?”

Vance: “I just said my loyalty, Kristen, is to the Constitution of the United States —”

Welker: “Over Donald Trump?”

Vance: *Refuses to answer*

Vance also dodged questions on how Trump is laying the groundwork to challenge this November’s results.

Margaret Brennan, CBS: “You took a vow, first as a Marine and then as a United States Senator, to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Can you assure the American people that you will do everything you can to stand by that, and to make sure that President Trump abides by the Constitution?” 

Vance: “Of course, but I don’t worry about Donald Trump. I think that Donald Trump believes in the Constitution. It’s why he’s running for president a third time is because he’s worried that Kamala Harris has broken the greatest economy in the world, and Donald Trump —” 

Brennan: “He’s talked about suspending it- the January 6 events. I don’t have to retread the territory you well know about challenging the certification of the election.”

Vance: *Dodges*

Vance also dismissed Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly, who recently called Trump a “fascist” for his “enemy from within” comments and revealed his praise for Hitler’s generals…

Vance: “You brought up John Kelly. And that –”

Tapper: “I brought up John Kelly’s view of Donald Trump. I didn’t bring up John Kelly talking about what Donald Trump said about Hitler’s generals. I didn’t bring that up. I talked about John Kelly’s view of Trump based on something Trump has been saying in the last week. So that’s what I asked about.”

Vance: “So John Kelly makes accusations that are rejected by five people. You – you —”

[…]

Vance: “I think that maybe implicates his overall judgment, and I think the fact that he has a worldview that’s so oppositional to peace and prosperity suggests that he’s not an honest arbiter here. This is not a guy, John Kelly, going to brag to Jeffrey Goldberg who is interested in the American truth or is interested in telling an honest account of Donald Trump. He’s a guy with an ax to grind because Donald Trump fired him and disagreed with him on policy.”

Tapper: “So all those 10 people, including the former vice president, Mike Pence, all of these people are — have this horribly damaged worldview. And they’re all just going after Donald Trump because they want to send people into war? That’s what — that’s really your argument?”

Vance: “Absolutely. […] Absolutely that’s my argument.” 

… and then bizarrely claimed Pence left Trump’s side because he couldn’t “control” Trump — not because Trump asked him to throw democracy out the window.

Tapper: “These are not conservative Republicans who are concerned about Donald Trump?”

[…]

Vance: “All of the people, Jake, they came into office thinking that they could control Donald Trump. That when he said he wanted peace in the world…”

Tapper: “Mike Pence thought he could control Donald Trump?”

Vance: “Yes, he did.”

Tapper: “Really?”