Democratic strategist James Carville criticized fellow Democrats for not aggressively targeting Vice President JD Vance in their messaging.
“Use JD Vance,” Carville said Thursday on his Politics War Room podcast, “and just kick the s‑‑‑ out of him every chance you get.”
Carville highlighted Vance’s recent trip to England as a missed opportunity to challenge him for skipping domestic travel.
“He went on vacation. People, Florida resorts are hurting. Las Vegas tourism is down substantially. The national parks — Yellowstone’s down 15 percent,” Carville said, as first reported by Mediaite.
“OK, he’s entitled to a vacation. I’ll give him that,” he added. “Guess where he went? To a place called Oxfordshire in England, which is a tony, wealthy area that rich Londoners frequent. It’s kind of like the Martha’s Vineyard of England.”
Carville argued Democrats could have leveraged the story more effectively.
“Why didn’t we blow this up? Why didn’t the tourist association of the Florida Panhandle blow this up? The Las Vegas people, the California people, the Wyoming people,” he said.
He suggested a pointed message: “You mean, he can’t vacation with his wife and kids in his own country? I’m getting ready to go to Lake George. Could be the most beautiful place on Earth. People in upstate New York would have welcomed his money. But what does he do? He goes to a tony English village.”
Vance returned Sunday from his working vacation in the United Kingdom, where he met with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Aug. 8 before spending time with his family in the Cotswolds, a favored destination for wealthy American tourists.
During his overseas trip, he also met with U.S. troops and wrapped up with a visit to Scotland.
