The New York Times (NYT) published Saturday a series of old emails in which Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance described the ex-president as “morally reprehensible.”
The NYT published the correspondence between Vance and his transgender friend, showing Vance’s criticism of law enforcement, and former President Donald Trump. Sofia Nelson, a Yale Law School alumna and former classmate of Vance, revealed that their extensive communication via text and email ceased following a fallout over Vance’s support for a ban on sex change surgery related medical procedures for minors, the NYT reported.
Emails and text messages shared by JD Vance’s former Yale Law School classmate show how the Ohio senator pivoted from being a strong opponent of Donald Trump to his running mate. Here are five of the most revealing moments in their correspondence. https://t.co/6lGMsjRULj
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 27, 2024
The emails, spanning from 2014 to 2017, highlight Vance’s initial opposition to Trump during the 2016 election. These views stand in stark contrast to his current role as Trump’s vice-presidential running mate. The NYT first highlighted an email dated Oct. 23, 2014, where Vance wrote, “I hate the police. Given the number of negative experiences I’ve had in the past few years, I can’t imagine what a black guy goes through.” (RELATED: FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show JD Vance Saying A Homophobic Slur?)
The newspaper also published an email dated Dec. 9, 2015, where Vance responded to Nelson’s complaint about a Muslim friend feeling unsafe due to Trump’s rhetoric. He wrote, “I’m obviously outraged at Trump’s rhetoric, and I worry most of all about welcome Muslim citizens feel in their own country. But I also think that people have always believed crazy s—… And there have always been demagogues willing to exploit the people who believe crazy s—.”
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JULY 16: Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump greets Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) on the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The NYT revealed another screenshot where Vance was apologizing to Nelson for mistakenly referring to his classmate as a lesbian in his bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy.” Vance explained, “I hope you recognized that the description came from a place of ignorance, when I first started writing years ago. I hope you’re not offended, but if you are, I’m sorry!”
Additionally, the article included another anti-Trump email from Vance from 2016, where he said, “The more white people feel like voting for trump, the more black people will suffer. I really believe that.” Later that year, Vance wrote in an email to Nelson regarding Trump, “He is just a bad man. A morally reprehensible human being.”
A spokesman for Vance told Fox News Digital that “[i]t’s unfortunate this individual chose to leak decade-old private conversations between friends to the New York Times.”
The Daily Caller has reached out to Vance for comments but has yet to receive a response.
