A spokesman for J.D. Vance criticized the Associated Press for running a headline Thursday that implied the Republican vice presidential nominee had dismissed school shootings as a “fact of life.”
In an exclusive comment to Fox News Digital, Vance spokesman William Martin attacked the AP.
“This is yet another case of the fake news media blatantly lying about a Republican politician. Senator Vance said the exact opposite of what the Associated Press claimed. It should come as no surprise that the AP has lost all credibility it had years ago, because they will lie about literally anything to prop up Democrats. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris has called for all police officers to be removed from schools, putting children across America at risk. It's yet another example of how Kamala Harris' weak, failed, and dangerously liberal agenda makes her unfit for office,” Martin said.
At a rally in Phoenix, Vance commented on the recent mass shooting that took place at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, on Wednesday.
Republican vice presidential candidate U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) speaks at a rally at the Team Hardinger trucking company on August 28, 2024 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
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“I don't like that this is a reality,” Vance said. “But if you're a psychopath and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are easy targets. And we need to beef up security in our schools. We need to beef up security so that if a psychopath wants to come in the front door and kill a bunch of kids, he can't do it.”
In reporting the quote, however, the AP appeared to suggest that Vance called school shootings a “fact of life” without regretting them.
“JD Vance says school shootings are a 'fact of life' and calls for greater security,” the original headline read.
The headline also appeared on a post by X that was later deleted after receiving a note from the community.
“Misleading title: The full quote is: 'I don't like this to be a fact of life,'” the note read.
AP later replaced both the headline and the X post, acknowledging the update.
The new headline reads: “JD Vance says he regrets school shootings are a 'fact of life' and calls for greater security.”
“This post replaces an earlier post that was removed to add context to the partial quote from Vance,” AP wrote.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to AP for comment.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded by attacking Vance and former President Trump.
“Yesterday, Vice President Harris said 'it doesn't have to be this way' in response to yet another senseless school shooting. Donald Trump and JD Vance believe school shootings are a 'fact of life' and 'we need to get over it,' Harris-Walz 2024 spokesman Ammar Moussa said in a statement.
Moussa continued: “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know we can take action to keep our children safe and keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Donald Trump and JD Vance will always choose the NRA and the gun lobby over our children. That is the choice in this election.”
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