During the vice presidential debate on Thursday, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) asserted that censorship represents a “threat to democracy” and claimed his Democratic opponents avoid addressing the issue.
Moderator Nora O’Donnell from CBS News asked Vance whether he would challenge the results of the 2024 election after he hinted he might not have certified the previous presidential election without alternative electors.
Vance replied that he and his running mate, former President Donald Trump, are “focused on the future,” citing efforts to tackle the “inflation crisis” as an example.
VANCE: "I believe that we actually do have a threat to democracy in this country. But unfortunately, it's not the threat to democracy that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz want to talk about.
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) October 2, 2024
It is the threat of censorship." pic.twitter.com/UXyayO95JL
Addressing the issue, Vance pointed out that Trump highlighted “problems” in the 2020 election. He emphasized that his personal approach is to discuss those concerns “peacefully in the public square.”
Vance reminded the audience that Trump encouraged his supporters on January 6, 2021 — the day the Capitol riot interrupted the certification of the 2020 election results — to “protest peacefully,” before shifting his attention to the current administration.
“I believe that we actually do have a threat to democracy in this country, but unfortunately, it’s not the threat to democracy that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz want to talk about. It is the threat of censorship,” Vance said.
Vance also stated that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, has been “engaged in industrial-scale censorship” regarding COVID-19 and other issues.
This remark comes in light of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent letter, in which he mentioned that the Biden-Harris administration had “repeatedly pressured” his company to censor content related to COVID during the pandemic.
“That, to me, is a much bigger threat to democracy than what Donald Trump said when he said protesters should peacefully protest on January the 6th,” Vance added.
Vance was debating Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz.
