(NewsNation) — Conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly thinks JD Vance and his wife, Usha, should do press together and address the alleged white supremacists commenting on their relationship.
In an interview with former Fox News personality Megyn Kelly, Donald Trump‘s running mate acknowledged racist attacks against his wife regarding her Indian heritage.
“Look, I love my wife so much. I love her because she’s who she is,” he said Friday. “Obviously, she’s not a white person, and we’ve been accused, attacked by some white supremacists over that. But I just, I love Usha. She’s such a good mom.”
Backlash quickly followed, as commenters called his justification of her race “weird,” something O’Reilly called “nonsense” during a Monday appearance on “On Balance with Leland Vittert.”
The solution? Address the nation on morning television together.
“That would be wise for Senator Vance and his wife to appear on the morning programs … maybe they should do it on NewsNation. You guys got a good morning team,” O’Reilly said.
The conservative pundit cast doubt on the threats, telling Vittert: “This could be completely fabricated. There’s not one that I’ve seen. Well, it’s up to him. But if somebody was threatening his wife because of her skin color, the FBI should be right on it. Is the FBI on it?”
“I don’t doubt there are some loons that don’t like Senator Vance’s wife, but who cares,” he added, telling NewsNation that, if the 2024 GOP ticket was shrewd, “they would absolutely go into a forum where both appeared and speak about their lives and how they see the country. That would be a big event for them.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is half Indian, has also faced racially charged questions about her electability as she has emerged as the likely Democratic candidate against Trump.
“As bigoted attacks against Usha Vance and Vice President Harris grow — including efforts to pit them against each other — it’s clear that the political leaders and others fueling this hate are completely disregarding the safety and wellbeing of Asian American and immigrant communities,” Stop AAPI Hate told The Hill.
The Hill contributed to this report.