Vance argues over Trump's 'enemy from within' comments
Trump's vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance was pressed on Sunday on Trump calling his domestic political opponents "the enemy from within."
In a recent Fox News interview, Trump referred to California Rep. Adam Schiff and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as "an enemy from within." Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if he believes Schiff and Pelosi are more dangerous than Russia and China, Vance tried to clarify what Trump said, telling Kristen Welker, "Those folks pose a greater threat to United States's peace and security.
"America is strong enough to stand up to any foreign adversary," Vance said.
Pressed if he agrees with Trump's comments, Vance said "that the biggest threat we have in our country, it's not a foreign adversary."
On CNN's "State of the Union," Vance insisted that Trump's "enemy from within" comments were not directed at political opponents.
CNN's Jake Tapper quoted Trump's previous statements to Vance, saying, "I'm talking about what he said publicly, he wants to use the military to go after the enemy within, which is the American people," Tapper said.
Vance fired back with, "He did not say that, Jake. He said 'far-left lunatics.' He's talking about people rioting after the election."
"He said about using the military that far-left lunatics, people who riot in the wake of an election, people who burned down American cities in the summer of 2020," Vance said. "Yes, we should have a federal law enforcement response."
-ABC News' Hannah Demissie