Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg thinks Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance made quite the political “mistake” with remarks he made about the outcome of the 2020 election at a rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
During the event, Vance said “no” when asked if he thought former President Donald Trump lost that election.
“What message do you think it sends to independent voters when you do not directly answer the question ‘Did Donald Trump lose in 2020?’” a reporter asked the Ohio senator.
“On the election of 2020, I’ve answered this question directly a million times. No,” he replied. “I think there are serious problems in 2020, so did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use.”
Buttigieg addressed Vance’s comments during an appearance on CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” Wednesday night, saying, “Well, first of all, it’s wrong, of course. Donald Trump lost.”
“And I think he knows that, I think he’s lying,” he continued. “I also think it’s a mistake politically because voters have a dim view of election deniers.”
He later added, “Now that he’s given a straight answer, JD Vance is officially on the record as an election denier — something that is shameful, but also … something that’s a setback.”
Vance, on numerous occasions, had previously dodged questions about whether he backed Trump’s baseless claims that he was the true winner.
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During an appearance on The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast published last week, Vance refused to say Trump lost in 2020 five times in a row.