HENDERSON, Nev. (KTNV) — Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance made his first visit to Nevada as the Republican nominee for vice president on Tuesday, telling a cheering crowd at Liberty High School that he and former President Trump would control immigration and restore a booming economy.
Vance's speech was interrupted by applause, chants of 'USA, USA!" and even the "happy birthday" song when he announced he would turn 40 years old on Friday.
He attacked Vice President Kamala Harris — the presumptive Democratic nominee for president — over immigration, blaming her for chaos at the southern border and crime committed by people in the country without authorization.
"Now here's what President Trump and I believe about loyalty," Vance said. "Loyalty to this country is closing the border, not opening it up. ... But for all illegal aliens, President Trump and I have a different message: If you are here against the laws of this country, pack your bags, because you're going home in six months."
Vance also promised to resume construction on a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
WATCH FULL SPEECH: J.D. Vance addresses voters in Henderson
Although President Biden assigned Harris to work on immigration issues, she has denied that she was responsible in any way for border security. And a Harris spokeswoman took exception Tuesday to charges that Harris was coddling criminals.
“After killing the toughest border deal in decades, Donald Trump is running on his trademark lies because his own record and ‘plans’ are extreme and unpopular," said Ammar Moussa. " As a former district attorney, attorney general, and now vice president, Kamala Harris has spent her career taking on and prosecuting violent criminals and making our communities safer. She'll do the same as president.”
Vance called Harris "dangerously liberal," mirroring a talking point that has appeared in the most recent Trump attack ad. He charged that Harris would work to give non-citizens the right to vote. Although there have been some jurisdictions that have allowed non-citizens to vote in local elections, there have been no proposals to allow them to vote in federal elections.
Vance blamed elected leaders in Washington for bipartisan trade agreements that cost American jobs and made things harder for workers. "So let's talk a little bit about what we believe in the Republican Party," he said. "We believe that a million cheap knockoff toasters aren't worth the price of a single American manufacturing job."
And, Vance said, he and Trump would foster a booming economy if voters elect them in November.
"So if you're out there and you're trying to make ends meet, if you're scraping by instead of thriving, if your hope is dwindling just as fast as your bank account, help is on the way and its name is Donald J. Trump," Vance said to cheers.
Vance didn't address abortion, a subject that Democrats criticized him on during a Monday news conference. Nor did he say anything about Trump's proposal to eliminate taxes on tipped income, even though many in the audience were holding signs reading "No taxes on tips."
WATCH: After the Vance rally, our Joe Moeller caught up with Nevada voters to see what topics matter the most to them
