Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris and the media for her latest round of unscripted comments following the repatriation of Americans imprisoned in Russia. Vance appeared to critique Harris’ remarks, which she made while standing beside President Biden at Joint Base Andrews in Camp Springs, Maryland.
“It’s astounding that journalists can still face themselves in the mirror while allowing this individual to coast to a major party nomination for president,” Vance stated on X. “Is anyone actually going to ask her a real question?” It’s worth noting that Harris hasn’t held a press conference in nearly two weeks since she became the presumptive Democratic nominee following Biden’s announcement that he wouldn’t seek re-election.
During a brief interaction with reporters, Harris spoke about the prisoner swap, saying, “This is an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and the strength that lies in recognizing the significance of diplomacy and building alliances.” The clip, initially posted by former President Trump’s campaign “war room,” sparked reactions labeling Harris’ comments as “significance of the passage of time 2.0″—a nod to a previous instance where Harris redundantly repeated a phrase while off-script.
In 2022, during a visit to Sunset, Louisiana, with then-Gov. John Bel Edwards and Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., Harris had similarly praised officials and recounted a library tour she had participated in that day. “We were… talking about the significance of the passage of time. Right? The significance of the passage of time,” Harris had said. “So, when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time in terms of what we need to do to lay these wires, what we need to do to create these jobs,” she added.
“And there is such great significance to the passage of time when we think about a day in the life of our children and what that means for the future of our nation, depending on whether or not they have the resources they need to achieve their God-given talent.” Since becoming the nominee-apparent, Harris has noticeably avoided certain unscripted public events.
For instance, the vice president was notably absent from the National Association of Black Journalists event in Chicago, where former President Trump garnered attention for his remarks and exchanges with ABC News reporter Rachel Scott. This pattern of avoiding spontaneous public interactions has only added to the scrutiny she faces as the campaign progresses.
It's amazing that journalists can look themselves in the mirror while letting this person coast to a major party nomination for president.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 2, 2024
Is anyone going to ask this person a question? https://t.co/KLGSn55n5g
