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Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump's running mate in the 2024 presidential election, previously suggested that the former president was guilty of committing sexual assault.
According to CNN, Vance repeatedly made remarks in 2016 indicating that he believed Trump committed sexual misconduct.
During an MSNBC segment in October 2016, Vance suggested that it was hard to believe Trump over Jessica Leeds, a salesperson who accused the former president in an interview of groping and forcibly kissing her during a fight in the 1970s.
“At a fundamental level, this is sort of a ‘he said, she said,’ right? And at the end of the day, do you believe Donald Trump, who always tells the truth? Just kidding,” Vance said. “Or do you believe that woman on that tape?"
Vance also questioned Trump's innocence in 2016 after an "Access Hollywood" tape showed him making sexually aggressive remarks about women.
“What percentage of the American population has @realDonaldTrump sexually assaulted?” Vance said in a now-deleted tweet.
Deleted likes from Vance's Twitter account suggested the Republican vice presidential nominee believed Trump's accusers.
“Maybe the Central Park 5 could take out a full-page ad to condemn the coddling of thug real estate barons who commit serial sexual assault,” one post read.
“I wish there was a 2nd Vice Presidential debate just to see @GovPenceIN deny that Trump said he grabbed p*ssy," a second post liked by Vance read.
In May 2023, Vance changed his tune as a fierce supporter of Trump. Vance said he believed Trump after he was found liable for sexual abuse against author E. Jean Carroll.
“I think fundamentally the lawsuit is about something that happened 25 years ago. It’s a ‘he said, she said’ situation. And I trust my friend and the guy that I’ve known and gotten to know,” Vance told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
“They are trying to take him down for political reasons. That, to me, is not about justice, that’s not about discovering the truth. That’s about using the legal system instead of the political system to win a debate against Donald Trump," he added.
A spokesperson for Vance said in a statement: “JD’s tweets and comments about President Trump from nearly a decade ago are old news that have been addressed numerous times since he entered the political world. They don’t reflect his views on President Trump today and haven’t for many years.”
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