Vance dodges questions on Laura Loomer's racist comments about Harris

Maya Marchel Hoff, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read

(This story has been updated with a new headline).

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, former President Donald Trump's running mate, attempted to downplay far-right political activist Laura Loomer's racist comments about Vice President Kamala Harris' Indian American heritage Sunday on NBC's “Meet the Press.”

"What Laura Loomer said is not what we should be focused on. We should be focused on the policies and issues," Vance told moderator Kristen Welker. "So, yeah, do I agree about what Laura Loomer said about Kamala Harris? No, I don’t."

Loomer, who has a history of making racist comments and pushing conspiracies, drew ire across both sides of the aisle for her comments earlier this week, saying if the Vice President won the November election that “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.”

More: Who is Laura Loomer? What to know about the 9/11 conspiracy theorist in Donald Trump's circle

Vance, who recently defended his spreading of baseless rumors that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, minimized Loomer's comments and denied her affiliation with the Trump campaign.

"Laura Loomer is not affiliated with the Trump campaign. She said something about curry in the White House that I first read about this morning, actually, because I knew you would ask me about it," Vance said.

"I make a mean chicken curry. I don’t think that it’s insulting for anybody to talk about their dietary preferences or what they want to do in the White House," he continued.

When asked by moderator Kristen Welker whether Vance and his Wife, Usha, who is Indian American, were offended by Loomer's comments, the Ohio senator said he doesn't "like those comments," and that they're a distraction from Harris' policies.

"Kamala Harris is running for president and whether you’re eating curry at your dinner table or fried chicken, things have gotten more expensive thanks to her policies," Vance said. "Let’s talk about the person running for the president of the United States, not a social media personality who supports Donald Trump."

Vance took the same path as his running mate, Trump, in avoiding directly addressing Loomer's comments this week. Trump attempted to distance himself from Loomer after receiving backlash from other conservatives for his relationship with the far-right media figure, including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Loomer, who has spread conspiracies that 9/11 was an "inside job," traveled with Trump Wednesday to the 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JD Vance avoids denouncing Laura Loomer's racist comments about Harris

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