Donald Trump was vilified for potentially putting Sen. J.D. Vance a heartbeat away from the presidency.
The 78-year-old Republican nominee tapped the first-term senator as his running mate earlier this month, and the Rev. Al Sharpton told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that voters were repelled by the 39-year-old Vance's extremist views and off-putting persona.
"They can really be turned off, that thin slice of voters that could go either way, and I think that it shows that you're looking at a person who says it's sarcastic to say something that is outright misogynist and offensive, to not only women but to men in this country," Sharpton said. "There's nothing sarcastic about that."
The Ohio Republican has drawn widespread condemnation for writing off Kamala Harris and other prominent Democrats as "childless cat ladies," and Sharpton said his efforts to clean up those 2021 remarks showed he was nowhere near ready for prime time.
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"What I think it also shows is that he is really not a good political athlete," Sharpton said. "If you get caught saying something that is indefensible, you say, 'I was wrong, I shouldn't have said that,' and you try to deal with it and move on. You don't try to justify it or act like it was just some sarcastic comment that you know is very injurious to people."
Sharpton said he suspects Trump regrets his choice already, and he said Vance could be a serious drag on the GOP campaign.
"I think Donald Trump seriously has got a problem because this guy is going to keep doing it," Sharpton said. "When you can't own that you've made a grievous error, you're going to have a long three months, Donald Trump, with this guy. Can you imagine this guy being a foot away, a step away from being president of the United States? He has said things like this and doesn't even know how to deal with it."
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