Buttigieg, Walz & More Campaign for VP Gig With Fiery TV Appearances (VIDEO)

Joe Biden is out of the 2024 Presidential election, and Kamala Harris is in. That leaves the Vice Presidential gig wide open, and Democratic politicians are throwing their hats in the consideration ring with fiery TV appearances on major news networks.

In the days since Biden stepped down from his reelection campaign and endorsed his veep as his replacement, donations have skyrocketed (the Harris campaign received more donations in one day than the blockbuster hit Twisters made in its opening weekend last weekend), indicating a reenergized voter base. Governors, state elected officials, and even current cabinet members are showing their energy through TV appearances, and it’s making for quite the entertaining watch for viewers nationwide.

As of Monday, July 22, Harris acquired enough pledges from DNC delegates to win the Presidential nomination in August (the convention begins August 19). Now, she has to choose her running mate. Here are the recent TV appearances from VP hopefuls that have been going viral on social media this week, including clips from Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and more. Other people reportedly on Harris’ list of potential running mates are Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and astronaut/Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, husband to former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords.

Given that Senator J.D. Vance is Donald Trump‘s partner on the Republican ticket, all Democratic VP hopefuls would need to be ready to square up against him. That said, a lot of these TV appearances specifically critique Vance more than Trump.

Whether or not these politicians actually want to run alongside Harris, there’s no denying that these leaders are in new form as they play offense against their Republican counterparts.

Governor Tim Walz Slams J.D. Vance for Misunderstanding the Midwest

.@GovTimWalz: “People like JD Vance know nothing about small town America… He gets it all wrong. It’s not about hate.” pic.twitter.com/Z5E3SGdqB4

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 23, 2024

“What I know is, people like J.D. Vance know nothing about small-town America,” Walz said on Morning Joe on July 23, slamming Donald Trump’s running mate. “It’s not about hate, it’s not about collapsing in. The golden rule there is mind your own damn business. Their policies are what destroyed middle America.” He went on to say that Republican talking points and policies have divided America more than anything.

“We do not like what has happened, where we can’t even go to Thanksgiving dinner with our uncle because you end up in some weird fight that is unnecessary,” he says, getting a laugh out of host Joe Scarborough. “Well, it’s true! These guys are just weird.” Reactions to this clip on Twitter are praise for Walz’s simple, funny, and effective messaging. Walz himself says he’s happy to finally be playing “offense” against the Republicans.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Slams Vance’s Comments About Him

Kentucky Gov. Beshear on Sen. JD Vance’s comments today: “J.D. Vance is a phony, he’s fake. I mean, he first says that Donald Trump is like Hitler, and now he’s acting like he’s Lincoln. The problem with JD Vance is he has no conviction, but I guess his running mate has 34.” pic.twitter.com/TAVWUhoJ3U

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) July 23, 2024

In a July 22 appearance on CNN, The Source anchor Kaitlan Collins had Beshear watch clips from Vance’s first rally as Trump’s running mate to get his reaction to particular talking points. Beshear calmly and swiftly called Vance “fake” for previously publicly denouncing Trump but praising him now.

“J.D. Vance is a phony, he’s fake. I mean, he first says that Donald Trump is like Hitler, and now he’s acting like he’s Lincoln,” Beshear said. “The problem with J.D. Vance is he has no conviction, but I guess his running mate has 34.” He also trolled Vance’s “liberals think Diet Mountain Dew is racist” joke that got few laughs during the rally by saying, “Who drinks Diet Mountain Dew?”

He also panned Vance for claiming to be from Kentucky and yet implying that people from Appalachia are “lazy” in his book-turned-movie Hillbilly Elegy.

Beshear Says “J.D. Vance Ain’t From Here”

Andy Beshear on Morning Joe sounds like he’s auditioning for Harris’ VP spot as he draws a contrast to Vance, and says he would “listen” to a VP offer: pic.twitter.com/v0bL5Yydor

— Ross O’Keefe (@RossOKeefe2) July 22, 2024

A July 22 appearance on Morning Joe featured Beshear saying that if he was asked to be Harris’ running mate, he would seriously consider it. But he was more focused on defending his Kentucky constituents against Vance’s portrayal of them in Hillbilly Elegy, plainly stating that “J.D. Vance ain’t from here.”

“The nerve that he has to call the people of Kentucky, of Eastern Kentucky lazy,” Beshear said, later adding, “Nobody calls us names, especially those that have worked hard for the betterment of this country.”

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg Makes His Trump and Vance Clapbacks Short and Sweet

Pete Buttigieg really does not like JD Vance lol pic.twitter.com/fmvzt2Ayts

— chyea ok (@chyeaok) July 23, 2024

Buttigieg was so chill when reading the Republican ticket for filth, you could miss it if you weren’t listening closely. Buttigieg told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show on July 22 that this election changeup “is an opportunity to really refocus this campaign on what it means for people around America.”

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“Of course, we’re going to talk about Kamala Harris and her extraordinary leadership,” he said. “We’re going to talk about Donald Trump and his unfitness for office and J.D. Vance and his inability to show any evidence that he believes in anything in any durable way. But honestly, most of this campaign will not be about them. It will be about the American people.”

Tell them how you really feel, Pete! Just a few days before Biden dropped out of the race, Buttigieg explained why he thinks Vance was able to switch from hating Trump to running with him. Check out his take on Vance post-RNC here and try not to laugh.

Buttigieg told Maddow that he’s not currently thinking about whether he would consider running with Harris on the Democratic ticket.