WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — J.D. Vance, the Ohio senator and Republican vice-presidential hopeful, took the stage Wednesday in Williamsport and made national headlines for giving his straightest answer yet when asked if former President Donald Trump lost reelection four years ago.
"On the election of 2020, I've answered this question directly a million times — no," Vance said in response to a reporter's question. "I think there were serious problems in 2020, so did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words I would use."
Vance's false claim that Trump did not lose the 2020 election came during a question-and-answer session with reporters that followed a roughly 30-minute speech at Liberty Arena.
It was far from Vance's only questionable claim.
The campaigns of Trump and Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, have been making regular stops to must-win Pennsylvania in the weeks before the contest between them is decided.
Newswatch 16 was there Wednesday and, as in other local visits from this cycle's contenders, sought to check Vance's statements through VERIFY.
Here's some of what Vance said:
- Vance claimed that Harris, the Democratic nominee, wants to use tax dollars to underwrite gender transition surgeries for migrants.
Answer: Needs context.
Vance's attack echoed campaign attacks that Harris supports such surgeries for transgender inmates and migrants in detention facilities.
VERIFY has previously looked into this claim and found it in need of more context. While running for president in 2019, then-Sen. Harris said she supported transition-related care for transgender prisoners, VERIFY found. However, this is not part of her current policy platform.
- Vance claimed that Harris wants to defund the police.
Answer: Misleading.
This one is also a holdover from Harris's statements from years past. VERIFY found that, after the death of George Floyd in May 2020, Harris voiced support for "redirecting resources" from policing to other parts of government.
Since she's become vice president, however, she supported increasing funding for police departments and boosted funding for community policing, VERIFY found.
3. Vance claimed there are 13,000 migrants living illegally in the United States who are convicted of murder.
Answer: Misleading.
According to VERIFY, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data does estimate there are more than 13,000 immigrants in the U.S. who have been convicted of murder and who are not in ICE custody. That much is true.
However, those 13,000 are from a period spanning 40 years, VERIFY found.
It's also possible that some of that number may be incarcerated. Vance, foretelling reporters would fact check him on this, noted that in his statement and said, "I say all of them should be in prison."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data estimates that there are more than 13,000 immigrants in the U.S. convicted of murder who are not currently in ICE custody, but they were released over a period of 40 years and did not all enter the country during the Biden administration. Some of the 13,000 immigrants could also be in prison or jail.