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J.D. Vance, who shot to fame as the author of the best-selling Hillbilly Elegy and is currently running as a Republican for an Ohio Senate seat, was harshly criticized for accusing Democratic President Joe Biden of trying to "kill a bunch of MAGA voters" with fentanyl to "punish" them.
In his remarks, Vance effectively blamed Biden on some level for an opioid crisis that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives long before Biden ever took office.
Vance did not explain exactly how Biden could accomplish such a goal and there is no evidence at all that Democrats are victimizing and plying Republican voters with opioids laced with fentanyl.
You can hear what Vance said in the video below.
Vance says Biden is trying to kill MAGA voters: \u201cIf you wanted to kill a bunch of MAGA voters in the middle of the heartland, how better to target them and their kids with this fentanyl .. It does look intentional. It\u2019s like Biden wants to punish people who didn\u2019t vote for him.\u201dpic.twitter.com/5Yoh0CA44z— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1651279271
Speaking to Jim Hoft, founder of the far-right news site Gateway Pundit, Vance said:
“If you wanted to kill a bunch of MAGA voters in the middle of the heartland, how better than to target them and their kids with this deadly fentanyl?”
Vance went on to suggest that the Biden administration might be colluding with drug traffickers at the United States-Mexico border to bring more drugs into communities in the American heartland, saying:
"It’s really a border crisis that has gone all over the country."
"It does look intentional."
“It’s like Joe Biden wants to punish the people who didn’t vote for him, and opening up the floodgates to the border is one way to do it.”
Vance's claim that the Biden administration is allowing drugs to seep into the country is inaccurate.
According to United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), officers at eight South Texas ports of entry "seized a significant amount of narcotics, unreported currency, weapons and uncovered numerous immigration violations during Fiscal Year 2021."
The agency notes that there was "a 1,066 percent increase in fentanyl and a 98 percent increase in cocaine seized," indicating that there is far less fentanyl in the country–let alone in Republican communities–than Vance might suggest.
Vance was criticized for his remarks.
Trump Republicans will really say anything. They normalize whacked-out conspiracy theory.https://twitter.com/ronfilipkowski/status/1520201563330990080\u00a0\u2026— David Corn (@David Corn) 1651369877
When responding to garbage like this, we need to do more than simply debunk it, we also need to point out what it is distracting us from - real solutions.\n\nIn this case, Republican scapegoating is letting the Sacklers and big Pharma off the hook for the opioid crisis.https://twitter.com/ronfilipkowski/status/1520201563330990080\u00a0\u2026— ClearingTheFog (@ClearingTheFog) 1651349312
I feel like a lot of conservative conspiracy theories really overestimate democrats\u2019 ability to get things donehttps://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1520201563330990080\u00a0\u2026— Mike Drucker (@Mike Drucker) 1651292371
This guy gets away with lies like this? Get him out of herehttps://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1520201563330990080\u00a0\u2026— JoeMun (@JoeMun) 1651323349
Vance has lost his marbles.\n\nDo you really want a dysfunctional brain like this in public office?\n\nNot even gross pandering - outright lies.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1520201563330990080\u00a0\u2026— Bill Swain (@Bill Swain) 1651329780
I honestly do not understand how bs like this is legal. Republicans are getting sicker and sicker.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1520201563330990080\u00a0\u2026— Clare Cosgrove \u2764\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\ude4f (@Clare Cosgrove \u2764\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\ude4f) 1651362320
Is this insanity, or acting to appeal to the republicans who just don't disagree with Biden's policies but frankly hate him. That is the current @GOP, just lie, and demonize people you disagree with. It's sick.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1520201563330990080\u00a0\u2026— Barbara Hoffmann (@Barbara Hoffmann) 1651368986
This is vile. They are consciously, knowingly, injecting poison into the American bloodstream.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1520201563330990080\u00a0\u2026— Jay Bookman (@Jay Bookman) 1651328852
JD Vance is a dangerous liar, in the vein of Alex Jones, Steve Bannon, and Roger Stone. @TimRyan for Senate.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1520201563330990080\u00a0\u2026— Save Democracy (@Save Democracy) 1651338082
Adding to the absurdity of Vance's claim is the fact that he comes from a family that was torn apart by alcohol abuse and drug addiction.
in Hillbilly Elegy, which received significant press during the 2016 presidential election, he mentions that he was raised by his grandparents, who were alcoholics, because of his mother's drug addiction and her history of failed relationships.
The book was adapted into a film in 2020 that received a polarizing critical response and reignited a conversation in literary circles about generalizations Vance has made about the white working class, the impact of the opioid crisis on rural communities, and the reasons for their misfortune in comparison to his own success.