Backpedalling J.D. Vance Decides He Actually Does Give a Shit About Ukraine
The Ohio Senate hopeful declared the Ukraine invasion a “tragedy” in a lengthy statement issued days after saying he couldn’t care less.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance of Ohio is seizing on the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine to blast Washington “elites,” even though he declared days ago that he cared little about what happened to the eastern European nation. Vance issued a lengthy statement Thursday decrying policy failures that have endured “for decades,” while praising former President Donald Trump. “Trump deserves an incredible amount of credit for the strength and diplomatic engagement that kept Putin in check—and Biden an equal amount of blame for his lack of leadership,” he said. (Vance notably omitted the gushing applause Trump heaped on Putin hours after the invasion.) The statement describing the invasion as “unquestionably a tragedy” was a dizzying change in tune from the message of indifference he shared on Steven Bannon’s podcast days earlier. “I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,” he said on Saturday. He doubled down in a subsequent statement saying, “spare me the performative affection for the Ukraine.”
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.