Vance Defends Trump On Using U.S. Military Against Americans (Video)

By Mariana Alfaro and Will Oremus

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) forcefully defended Donald Trump’s vow to use the U.S. military against certain Americans, a group Trump has repeatedly labeled “the enemy from within.”

Across several television interviews that aired Sunday, Vance also dismissed former Trump White House chief of staff John F. Kelly’s warnings that the former president meets the definition of a fascist. Vance described Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general, as a “disgruntled employee.”

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He also disputed former vice president Mike Pence’s contention that Trump forced him to choose between loyalty to the Constitution and loyalty to Trump himself.

With nine days to go before the election, Vance appears to be stepping up his defense of Trump against warnings from Democrats and Republicans alike that Trump would be an authoritarian figure. In recent weeks, numerous former Trump officials have raised alarms that the Republican presidential nominee is unfit to lead the nation.

Interviews with CNN, NBC News and CBS News showed a vice-presidential candidate ready to defend — and frequently reframe — some of Trump’s most controversial comments. Vance on Sunday also repeatedly declined to call Russian President Vladimir Putin an “enemy,” saying he considers Putin a “competitor” and an “adversary.”

“Well, we’re not in a war with him, and I don’t want to be in a war with Vladimir Putin’s Russia,” Vance said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I think that we should try to pursue avenues of peace,” he said, but added that he has condemned Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

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