Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance told supporters at a rally that he believes former President Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election. During a press conference in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, he faced questions about his reluctance to affirm the legitimacy of the 2020 results. Trump, who is Vance’s running mate and the Republican nominee for 2024, has repeatedly claimed his loss to Democrat Joe Biden was due to widespread voter fraud—a claim that has been debunked.
While Vance has avoided directly answering in the past, he stated, “On the election of 2020, I’ve answered this question directly a million times: No. I think there were serious problems in 2020. So did Donald Trump lose the election? No, not by the words that I would use,” addressing the crowd in Williamsport.
Despite exhaustive investigations finding no evidence of fraud in the 2020 election, Trump has continued to cast doubt on its results and suggested he may not accept the outcome of the upcoming election either. In May, Trump claimed he would accept the results if everything was “honest,” but he anticipates a significant victory. He has also threatened to prosecute those he views as undermining his campaign.
Vance has been cautious about contradicting Trump’s false claims, especially during the October 1 vice-presidential debate when asked if he would challenge this year’s election results again.
