Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) cast doubt Sunday on J.D. Vance’s long-term viability as Donald Trump’s running mate, pondering whether the former president would dump the Ohio senator entirely.
“Donald Trump, I know him, and he's probably sitting and watching the TV, and every day, it comes out Vance has done something more extreme, more weird, more erratic,” Schumer told CBS’ Face the Nation. “Vance seems to be more erratic and more extreme than President Trump. And I'll bet President Trump is sitting there scratching his head and wondering, why did I pick this guy? The choice may be one of the best things he ever did for Democrats.”
He also speculated whether Trump would ultimately choose to drop Vance from the ticket ahead of Ohio’s Aug. 7 deadline to join the ballot.
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“Now the president has 10 days before the Ohio ballot is locked in,” Schumer said. “He has a choice: Does he keep Vance on the ticket, where he’s-he probably-he’s-he already has a whole lot of baggage, he’s probably going to be more baggage over the weeks because we’ll hear more things about him, or does he pick someone new? What’s his choice?”
Trump picked Vance nearly two weeks ago, fresh off the wave of positive press following the the July 13 assassination attempt and President Joe Biden’s flailing re-election campaign. However, since Biden dropped out and Vice President Kamala Harris joined the ticket, Vance has faced a barrage of criticisms and memes. Some have stemmed from his actual past remarks, like his comments about childless women. But there are false controversies too, including the claims that he had sexual relations with furniture.
Oftentimes, including in Schumer’s interview on Sunday, the criticism boils down to one word: “Weird.”
The fervor has prompted multiple media outlets to question whether Trump regretted his choice. (Trump told Fox & Friends last week that Vance was “fantastic” and he would have picked him regardless of who topped the Democratic ticket.)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a top Trump surrogate, reiterated Trump’s commitment to Face the Nation on Sunday.
“The American First agenda will be in good hands with J.D.,” Graham said.
