Vance Avoids Saying Trump Lost 2020 Race—Again—In Latest Interview
Topline
Ohio Sen. JD Vance again refused to say whether his presidential running mate, former President Donald Trump, lost the 2020 election on ABC News Sunday morning—continuing Vance’s avoidance of the question, despite no evidence of widespread fraud in Trump’s 2020 loss.
Key Facts
ABC News’ Martha Raddatz asked Vance on “This Week” whether he would acknowledge Trump lost the 2020 election if she “asked (him) 50 times,” to which Vance said he and Trump “believe there were problems in 2020,” then pivoted, saying: “You haven’t asked about inflation.”
Vance said he wanted instead “to focus on the fact that we had big technology firms censoring our fellow citizens in a way that violated our fundamental rights,” likely referring to accusations that Trump’s 2020 performance was impacted by some social media platforms’ content moderation decisions.
Vance has regularly avoided the question of whether the 2020 election was stolen—which Trump continues to say it was, despite no evidence—since early October, when Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz asked him to address it on the debate stage and called Vance’s refusal “a damning non-answer.”
Vance also refused to say Trump lost the election at a Saturday night campaign event in Pennsylvania, where he said, “I think the election of 2020 had serious problems … You want to call it rigged. Call it whatever you want to, it wasn’t OK.”
Vance’s refusal to answer was also highlighted earlier Saturday when The New York Times published an interview in which he was asked directly five times whether Trump lost the 2020 election and he refused to answer each time, instead saying they are “focused on the future” and asking questions about “big technology.”
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
Crucial Quote
“I’ve said repeatedly I think the election had problems. You want to say rigged. You want to say he won. Use whatever vocabulary term you want,” Vance told Raddatz on ABC Sunday when asked “Did Donald Trump lose?
Chief Critic
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also appeared on “This Week” on Sunday and criticized Vance’s refusal to say Trump lost the election. Beshear said there was “no lie too big for Donald Trump and JD Vance,” adding “when you ask [Vance] about the last election, all you’re asking him to do is admit reality.”
Key Background
Trump has continued to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen from him through voter fraud. The claims have been countered by a number of investigations, studies and comments from public officials on both sides of the political aisle who have said the election was secure and there was not widespread fraudulent voting. An Associated Press investigation of every voter fraud claim in the six key swing states won by President Joe Biden found there were just 475 potential cases, which it said was not enough to have made a difference in the outcome of the election. More than 50 lawsuits that challenged the results were dismissed at state and federal levels, Reuters reported, and the Brennan Center for Justice published “extensive research” showing “voter impersonation is virtually nonexistent” and fraud is “very rare.” The former president and a number of his political allies are facing criminal trials for their involvement at the state or federal level in attempting to overturn the results of the election.
