Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance drew attention on Wednesday by confronting Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, on the tarmac at Eau Claire airport.
Vance’s surprise appearance coincided with the arrival of Harris and Walz’s planes, which landed around the same time.
An Ohio senator, Vance, approached the media near Air Force Two and remarked, “I figured I’d come by and, one, just get a good look at the plane because hopefully it will be my plane in a few months. But I also thought you guys might get lonely because the vice president doesn’t answer questions from reporters and hasn’t for 17 days.”
He challenged Harris on her media engagement, asking, “Have they given you guys an explanation for why she won’t take questions from reporters?” Vance criticized Harris for her inconsistencies, stating, “I’d love her just to answer what she wants to do and explain why every single position she has has changed. She pretends to be a tough-on-crime prosecutor, and yet here she is, wanting to defund the police. She’s the border czar, yet she’s opened up the American southern border.”
Vance concluded his remarks by expressing frustration: “This person has to answer questions from the media, and it’s disgraceful that she runs from you guys. It’s also insulting to the American people.”
Despite Vance’s critique, Harris has been known to engage with reporters off the record during her flights on Air Force Two. On Tuesday, she spoke briefly with the press during an off-the-record session aboard the vice presidential jet.
After Vance’s appearance, Harris and Walz, who were scheduled to attend a rally, were seen interacting with Girl Scouts at the airport before heading to their event.
