Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), former President Donald Trump’s running mate, sat down last week for an interview with CNN that aired on Sunday.
During the interview, hosted by CNN’s Dana Bash, Vance responded to allegations levied against him—and played offense on several key issues.
Here are the top three takeaways from that interview.
‘Of Course’ I Want to Debate Walz
Despite saying earlier that he would wait to commit to a debate with vice presidential candidate Tim Walz until the Minnesota governor was formally nominated by Democrats, Vance indicated to Bash that he’d be happy to debate.“Of course I want to debate Tim Walz,” Vance said.
“I think it’s important and I think that it goes to a very fundamental difference between the Trump-Vance ticket and our opposition: We believe in talking to the media. We believe in answering questions. We believe in debating. I think it’s really important.”
He drew a comparison with Vice President Kamala Harris, saying that she had not sat down for a media interview since she became the presumptive and then the official Democratic nominee. Harris has only held a handful of off-the-record conversations with journalists.
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“I mean, look, I’m asking the American people to make me their vice president,” Vance added. “It’s really important to stand before the American people to make that case, and I’m going to keep on doing it in whatever forum I get the opportunity.”
Walz is likely to be formally nominated at the Democratic National Convention later this month, paving the way for a potential debate between the two candidates sometime in September or October.
Presidential Role in Monetary Policy
Vance also fielded questions about remarks made by Trump related to federal monetary policy.Last week, while speaking about Federal Reserve policy, which has an economy-wide impact on almost all Americans, Trump said, “the president should have at least a say in there.”
Asked about Trump’s comment, Vance made clear he “absolutely agree[s]” with the former president, framing the issue in terms of democracy.
“President Trump is saying, I think, something’s really important and actually profound, which is that the political leadership of this country should have more say over the monetary policy of this country,” Vance said. “I agree with him.”
“That should fundamentally be a political decision. Agree or disagree, we should have America’s elected leaders having input about the most important decisions confronting our country,” Vance said.
Right now, the president has no say over the Federal Reserve’s decisions, which are left primarily to the chairman and board of the central bank—a situation that irked Trump when he was in the Oval Office.
Pushed by Bash, Vance acknowledged that giving the president input over Fed policy would represent a “huge change,” but he again framed it as a more democratic approach to monetary policy in the United States.
“Whether the country goes to war, what our interest rates are—these are important questions that American democracy should have important answers for,” Vance said.
“I think all President Trump is saying is, ‘Look, it’s kind of weird that you have so many bureaucrats making so many important decisions,’” Vance added.
“If the American people don’t like our interest rate policy, they should elect somebody different to change the policy. Nothing should be above democratic debate in this country when it comes to the big questions confronting the United States.”
Response to ‘Childless Cat Ladies’ Backlash
Finally, Vance responded to backlash he received over a comment he made three years ago criticizing what he described as “childless cat ladies” in charge of the federal government.Speaking about the comments with Bash, Vance argued that his words had been twisted into appearing to be an attack on all childless Americans—a framing that Vance says he objects to.
He dismissed the remark as having been sarcastic and blown out of proportion. The core of the remarks, he said, was about taking on what he described as an “anti-family” and “anti-child” outlook common among the ruling class.
“I’m pro-family, I want us to have more families. And obviously sometimes [having a family] doesn’t work out, sometimes for medical reasons, sometimes because you don’t meet the right person. But the point is that our country has become anti-family in its public policy.”
He cited surprise medical bills after the birth of one of his children as an example of “ridiculous laws in this country that are anti-family” and need to be changed.
“I never, Dana, criticized people for not having kids. I criticize people for being anti-child.”
—Joseph Lord
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