Ohio Sen. JD Vance, now the Republican vice presidential nominee, did not mince words in 2016 when he repeatedly asserted his belief that Donald Trump had committed sexual assault.
During a segment on MSNBC that year focusing on allegations against Trump, including those made by Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of groping and forcibly kissing her in the 1970s, Vance expressed skepticism towards Trump’s denials.
“At a fundamental level, this is sort of a ‘he said, she said,’ right? And at the end of the day, do you believe Donald Trump, who always tells the truth? Just kidding,” Vance remarked sarcastically. “Or do you believe that woman on that tape?” he added, referring to Leeds (clip below).
However, by May 2023, in a clear shift from his earlier stance as a critic to becoming a staunch surrogate for Trump, Vance’s position had drastically changed. After Trump was found liable by a jury in a case involving allegations from author E. Jean Carroll, Vance adopted a different tone.
“I think fundamentally the lawsuit is about something that happened 25 years ago. It’s a ‘he said, she said’ situation. And I trust my friend and the guy that I’ve known and gotten to know,” Vance told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, just months after securing his US Senate seat with Trump’s endorsement.
Vance’s defense of Trump marked a significant departure from his 2016 remarks following the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape, where the Republican presidential candidate made crude and sexually aggressive remarks about women.
In October 2016, Vance tweeted, questioning, “What percentage of the American population has @realDonaldTrump sexually assaulted?”
Although this tweet was initially removed, its responses remain on the platform, and it was subsequently compiled in an opposition report released by his super PAC in 2022, highlighting potential vulnerabilities as a candidate.
Deleted likes from Vance’s Twitter account further suggested his belief in Trump’s accusers and critics who labeled Trump as a “serial sexual assault[er].”
Vance’s post, “Perhaps the Central Park 5 could publish a full-page ad condemning the indulgence of thuggish real estate magnates who engage in serial sexual assault,” was another instance, made shortly after the “Access Hollywood” tape surfaced.
In another liked post from 2016, Vance said, “I wish there was a second vice presidential debate just to watch @GovPenceIN deny Trump’s alleged assertion of ‘grabbing pu**y’.”
Additionally, in October 2016, Vance distributed on Facebook an editorial from Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention, criticizing Trump’s attitudes toward women.
Trump has consistently denied all allegations of sexual assault.
But Vance appeared on MSNBC where he discussed the allegations, suggesting doubts about Trump’s denials in favor of believing his accusers.
Donald Trump, and his VP contender JD Vance, would HATE it if you reposted this video of Vance siding with the alleged victim of Trump's sexual assault.
How do you support a man you believe assaulted women, and lied about it?
— Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) July 11, 2024
