Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) quipped that former President Trump has “buyer’s remorse” over choosing Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R) as his running mate, while talking to reporters Friday.
“This guy is not exactly off to a good start and it is clear that Donald Trump really has buyer’s remorse with his pick,” said Shapiro, who is one of the leading contenders to be Vice President Harris’s running mate.
Shapiro was responding to comments Vance made during an interview Friday in which he said that Shapiro speaks like he’s doing a bad impression of former President Obama.
“I’ve seen a couple of clips of him talk and he talks like Barack Obama,” Vance told “Full Send Podcast.” “It’s like if I tried to do a really bad impression of Barack Obama that’s what it would sound like, this guy from Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro.”
Shapiro said Vance’s comments were “a weird insult.”
“Barack Obama was probably our most gifted orator of my time, so that’s kind of a weird insult,” he said. “I’ll say this about JD Vance,” he continued. “It’s real hard being honest with the American people when you’re not being honest with yourself. JD Vance is a total phony baloney.”
“He is the most inorganic candidate I think I have ever seen on the national stage. He doesn’t know what he believes and that it is why it is impossible for him to articulate a coherent message to the American people because he doesn’t believe it,” he said.
The exchange could be a preview of what a Shapiro vs. Vance dynamic would look like on the campaign trail. It comes as speculation grows over who Harris will pick to be her running mate. A number of Harris’s contenders, including Shapiro, canceled various weekend engagements amid the speculation. Harris and her unnamed running mate are expected to hold a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Harris is also considering Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Transportation Secretary PetePennsylvania Buttigieg.