Harris campaign co-chair says JD Vance ‘not right, not ready’ for VP office

Mitch Landrieu, co-chair of Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign, slammed former President Trump’s decision to elevate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) to his running mate, saying in a Thursday interview the senator is “not ready” for office.

“The fact of the matter is, Donald Trump’s character is right where it needs to be,” Landrieu said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “And people can never forget of all the things that have happened to him and whether or not he’s fit for office, he also has a vice-presidential candidate that’s not right, he’s not ready, and he’s, he’s not real.”

“So, I put Tim Walz and Kamala Harris against those two guys any day of the week,” he added.

Landrieu also took aim at the Trump campaign’s messaging since President Biden withdrew from the race and later endorsed Harris, suggesting the former president is having trouble targeting Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) — who she tapped as her vice presidential pick earlier this week.

“He’s still unfit for the presidency, and he is really grabbing for straws right now and trying to find a way to make Kamala Harris and Tim Walz look bad, but they’re having a hard time doing it,” he said.

The Harris campaign has gone on the offensive against Trump and his running mate, calling them “weird.” Vance has faced scrutiny in the weeks since joining the Republican ticket, especially since his previous comments about “childless cat ladies” resurfaced.

Some Republicans have even questioned the former president’s decision to select Vance as his running mate, with the Harris campaign suggesting Trump’s team has “buyer’s remorse” over the choice.

The Ohio senator has defended himself amid the criticism and slammed Harris since she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, saying the vice president is a “million times worse” than Biden.

Vance trolled Harris as he approached Air Force Two “to check out” the plane after both he and the vice president landed at the same airport Wednesday in Wisconsin. The Harris campaign responded by calling him “weird” and by posting an edit of his plane arriving on TikTok.

“I figured that I would come by and get a good look at the plane because hopefully it’s going to be my plane in a few months,” Vance said in front of Air Force Two. “I also thought you guys may get lonely, because the VP doesn’t answer questions from reporters.”

Luke Schroeder, a campaign spokesperson for Vance, took aim at Harris over border security and Walz over his military record when reached for comment by The Hill. 

“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are weak, failed, and dangerously liberal. Harris is responsible for the worst border crisis in modern history and the skyrocketing inflation that’s crushing American workers and families. Walz is a far left radical who abandoned his military unit before they deployed to Iraq so he could launch his own political career.  President Trump and Senator Vance are ready on day one to deliver peace and prosperity for the American people,” Schroeder said in a statement.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Updated at 1:42 pm.