Vance on Trump's Harris Remarks: 'Totally Reasonable'

JD Vance is weighing in on Donald Trump's appearance Wednesday in front of the National Association of Black Journalists. On Thursday, Trump's running mate stuck up for the former president in Arizona, calling Trump's comments about Harris' racial identity "totally reasonable," adding that the current vice president "pretends to be somebody different, depending on the audience she's talking to," per CNN. "Look, all he said is that Kamala Harris is a chameleon," Vance said of Trump's remark that Harris "happened to turn Black" after previously claiming her Indian heritage only.

Vance, who has three biracial children with wife Usha Vance, also called reaction to Trump's words "hysterical," adding that "the media is overreacting to it," per the Hill. "The president doesn't do scripted BS stuff," Vance told reporters. "He actually goes into hostile audiences, he answers tough questions, he pushes back against them, but he actually answers them." NOTUS reports that Vance also doubled down on Harris seeming different depending on what kind of audience she's in front of. "Yesterday, she was in Georgia, and she put on a Southern accent for a Georgia audience," Vance said. "She grew up in Vancouver. What the hell is going on here?" (CNN notes that Harris spent her teen years in Montreal after her mother moved there for work.)

A rep for Harris' campaign responded to "the most unpopular vice presidential nominee in history" in a statement. "JD Vance and Donald Trump are trafficking in hatred and lies to divide the American people, because with no positive vision to move our country forward, all they can do is drag us back," said Sarafina Chitika, per CNN. As for Vance's "chameleon" comments, the outlet asked the VP candidate if he can address his own flip-flopping, including his former contempt for Trump, as well as previous disparaging remarks he's made about the police. "It's reasonable to change your mind. It's not reasonable to run and hide from the media and not answer the American people's questions," Vance replied, hinting that he believes Harris isn't addressing certain issues. (Meanwhile, Trump is defending his running mate as he campaigns.)