At a town hall event in North Carolina, something unexpected happened behind Republican Senator JD Vance. Someone in the audience appeared to be in distress and fell over. Instead of helping, Vance made a joke. He said, “Kamala Harris built this platform behind us,” blaming the Vice President for something that had nothing to do with her.
Someone fell over behind JD Vance and seemed to be in some distress just now during his town hall event in North Carolina. Vance’s response? “Kamala Harris built this platform behind us.” pic.twitter.com/j7ZhAX5gzW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 10, 2024
This reaction shows a worrying trend in today’s Republican Party. Instead of caring or helping when someone needs it, they often make jokes, attack their opponents, or try to distract from the real issue. JD Vance’s comment is just one more example of this, and it points to a bigger problem in the GOP.
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JD Vance’s joke may seem like just one small moment, but it fits into a much bigger picture of how the Republican Party has been acting lately. This lack of empathy is something we’ve seen before from other Republicans, especially those who have followed in the footsteps of Donald Trump.
In 2020, during a Trump rally in Omaha, Nebraska, many of his supporters were left stranded in freezing weather after the event ended. The buses that were supposed to take people back never arrived, and hundreds of people had to walk in the cold. Several ended up in the hospital. Instead of pausing the rally to make sure his supporters were safe, Trump ignored the situation. He didn’t even acknowledge the issue afterward. This shows a disturbing pattern of Republicans caring more about their image and political points than about real people.
We also saw this during the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017. When Trump visited Puerto Rico, which had been devastated by the storm, he made headlines for throwing paper towels into a crowd of people as if it was a game. Instead of showing compassion or making sure that people were getting the help they needed, he turned a serious moment into a joke.
What’s missing from today’s Republican Party is empathy. When someone is hurt or in need, our leaders should care. They should act. But instead, we see leaders like JD Vance making jokes and shifting blame. This is not what leadership should look like.
We should demand better from our leaders. Leadership isn’t about jokes or distractions. It’s about caring for the people you serve, no matter what side of the political spectrum they’re on. The Republican Party, especially under the influence of Trump, seems to have forgotten this. They have lost sight of what it means to be responsible and compassionate. Instead of mocking or blaming, they should be stepping up and helping the people who need it most.
Featured image via Political Tribune gallery
