Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) sharply criticized former President Trump’s choice of running mate in Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), taking aim specifically at the first-term senator’s past opposition to aiding Ukraine as it fends off Russia’s invasion.
“They are celebrating that choice, both in Milwaukee tonight and in Moscow,” Kinzinger said Monday in an interview on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” referencing the locations of this week’s Republican National Convention and Russia’s capital city.
“JD Vance is the one that has … very loudly talked about how he doesn’t care what happens in Ukraine. He has opposed aid to Ukraine,” Kinzinger said. “At a time where, since World War II, the biggest defense of a country, of freedom, that is happening right now.”
The former lawmaker, who has been a staunch supporter of defending Ukraine, noted the war-torn country’s citizens are “in the trenches” together and hardly “have anything in common, except they are standing together, defending their country.”
“And all we have to do is help finance that,” Kinzinger continued. “We are not even fighting. And JD Vance has aggressively parroted actual Russian talking points.”
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He said Trump made a “terrible pick” for his running mate.
“To me, he’s a guy that was an anti-Trumper, that all of a sudden is the biggest pro-Trumper,” Kinzinger said. “He has no moral soul, no center. And how you can like Russia and what they are doing in Ukraine is beyond me. I think it was a terrible pick for the president.”
Vance’s foreign policy positions reflect Trump’s “America First” mindset. Like Trump, Vance has argued European countries should shoulder more responsibility for military defense, in particular manufacturing, so the U.S. can pivot to putting resources in Asia against an aggressive China.
He has also raised doubts that the U.S. can maintain military support to Ukraine, saying the U.S. does not build enough munitions to sustain the level of assistance funneled to Kyiv.
And he’s called for engaging with Russia President Vladimir Putin to deliver for “American interests.”
“I’ve never once argued that Putin is a kind and friendly person. I’ve argued that he’s a person with distinct interests, and the United States has to respond to that person with distinct interests,” Vance said at the Munich Security Conference in February.
“But the fact that he’s a bad guy does not mean we can’t engage in basic diplomacy and prioritizing America’s interests,” he added. “There are a lot of bad guys all over the world, and I’m much more interested in some of the problems in East Asia right now than I am in Europe.”
Kinzinger’s criticism comes after Trump was officially named the GOP nominee for president at the Republican convention following an assassination attempt at a rally over the weekend.
Trump Vance on Monday to offer him the role of vice president and, 20 minutes later, he let the world know.