SHELBY TOWNSHIP Mich. (WWJ) -- With a line of police officers standing behind him, GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance spoke to a small group during a visit to battleground Michigan on Wednesday.
His main topic — one that Republicans believe is their strongest argument against their Democratic opponents — was crimes tied to convicted or accused migrants who are in the U.S. illegally.
This was not a rally, per se, as Vance stumped before a private audience, taking questions for the media outside the police department in the Detroit suburb of Shelby Township.
Vance said Trump, if reelected, would stop the flow of migrants into the U.S. "Remember, when President Trump was in office, we deported illegal aliens. When President Trump was in office, we were building the border wall, which made it harder for illegal aliens to come here in the first place," Vance said. "When President Trump was president, we did not grant mass amnesty, which allowed illegal aliens to come into our communities to harm our people and then to stay here after the fact."
WWJ Newsradio 950's Charlie Langton posed a getting-to-know-you question to the VP candidate, asking Vance: "You've been criticized for being a little too serious, a little bit angry sometimes. What makes you smile? What makes you happy?"
To this, Vance replied: "Well, I smile at a lot of things, including bogus questions from the media, man. I mean, look, I think if you watch a full speech that I give, I actually am having a good time out here, and I'm enjoying this. But, look, sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad, but right now I am angry about what Kamala Harris to this country and has done to the American southern border."
He added: "And I think most people in this country, they can be happy-go-lucky sometimes, they can enjoy things sometimes, and they can turn on the news and recognize that what's going on in this country is a disgrace. And I think Kamala Harris has done to the southern border, and what Kamala Harris has done to raise the price of groceries
Vance went on to criticize Harris' recent public appearances, saying she hasn't answered any reporter questions since President Biden endorsed her presidential candidacy, speaking exclusively on-script.
"And today marks 17 days where she has been the presumptive Democrat nominee, and 17 days where she has refused to answer questions from the media. President Trump will go anywhere — into hostile audiences into friendly audiences — and answer tough questions. I will go anywhere, and answer tough questions..."
What Vance did not mention was that a bipartisan deal pushed by President Joe Biden over the southern border that would have added border agents and emergency authority to remove people who cross into the U.S. illegally — even if they're seeking asylum — died in Congress under pressure from Trump.
As for Vance's claims about the flow of migrants, the numbers show it is true that unauthorized crossings at the southern border did spike during the first three years of Joe Biden’s presidency. In first half of 2024, however, they’ve fallen sharply.
Vance's visit comes as Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly announced running mate, Tim Walz, are set to rally in Detroit both Wednesday night and Thursday.