US Election 2024: ‘Stop being offended’–JD Vance dismisses outrage over offensive jokes at MSG rally

Republican Vice-Presidential nominee JD Vance during a campaign event in Wisconsin on Monday, responded to the backlash surrounding racist and vulgar remarks made at former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The comments, which included derogatory jokes about Puerto Rico, Black individuals, Latinos, Jews, and women, have drawn widespread condemnation.

Vance said, "I haven’t seen the joke. I, you know, maybe, maybe it’s a stupid racist joke, as you said,” Vance continued. “Maybe it’s not. I haven’t seen it. I’m not going to comment on the specifics of the joke, but I think that we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America. I’m just, I’m so over it.”

At the rally, which took place on Sunday night, speakers made inflammatory comments. When pressed about the remarks made by comedian Tom Hinchcliffe, Vance acknowledged he hadn’t heard them yet but commented, “It’s telling that Kamala Harris’ closing message is essentially that all of Donald Trump’s voters are Nazis.” He added that Harris's reaction to the comedian’s jokes is “not the message of a winning campaign, and most importantly, it’s not the message of a person who’s fit to be the president of the United States of America.”

Vance went on to address a joke made by comedian George Lopez at a Harris rally, suggesting that everyone should take a step back and have a sense of humor. “Can we all just take a chill pill and take a joke from time to time? This is ridiculous,” he said. He emphasized that the country cannot restore its greatness if people continue to get offended easily.

Earlier in his remarks, Vance accused Harris of “endangering the life” of Trump, criticizing her for labeling him a fascist and suggesting that her running mate, Tim Walz, had compared Trump’s rally to a pro-Nazi event.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has attempted to distance itself from the comedian's remarks. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared on Fox News to downplay the comments, stating, “It was a comedian who made a joke in poor taste. Obviously, that joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or our campaign.”

Lara Trump, Republican National Committee co-chair and former President Trump’s daughter-in-law, also commented on the incident, insisting that the disparaging remarks made by the comedian would not hinder Latino outreach efforts. Responding to NBC News in Arizona, she said, “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem at all.”

"I think it’s a shame that there’s so much that’s been made about it. It was not, obviously, a joke that was condoned in any way by the campaign, the RNC or Donald Trump. It was a comedian," she said. “And I just wish that people were actually looking at the impact of that actual rally in Madison Square Garden with all those people. It was really incredible. And I think it’s a shame that so much has been made of that.”

The fallout from the rally continues as both sides of the political spectrum respond to the inflammatory comments, highlighting the challenges candidates face in addressing divisive rhetoric ahead of the election.