Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance of Ohio is accusing his Democratic opponent, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), of wanting to increase immigration to the U.S. so that he can spend government money on “gender reassignment surgeries” for those immigrants.
“Tim Ryan is sort of the poster board for oligarchy,” Vance said on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show last night. “If you look at his views on green energy, really good for the people who fund his campaign, really bad for the people of Youngstown, Ohio. If you look at his views on, for example, flooding America with illegal aliens and then using American tax dollars to fund gender reassignment surgeries for those aliens, that’s exactly what Tim Ryan has proposed doing.”
“This is just mad libs for bigots,” Media Matters’s Kat Abu noted in sharing the video clip.
According to JD Vance, Tim Ryan is planning on "flooding America with illegal aliens and then using American tax dollars to fund gender reassignment surgeries for those aliens" pic.twitter.com/iMOPiEMuxT
— Kat Abu (@abughazalehkat) November 4, 2022
yes this clip is very funny but he also called Tim Ryan a "poster board" and I think we need to talk about that
— Kat Abu (@abughazalehkat) November 4, 2022
Vance was likely referring to an answer Ryan gave in a 2019 ACLU presidential candidate questionnaire, from when he was running to be the Democratic nominee for president.
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“As President will you use your executive authority to ensure that transgender and non-binary people who rely on the state for medical care — including those in prison and immigration detention — will have access to comprehensive treatment associated with gender transition, including all necessary surgical care?” the question asked. Ryan said “Yes” but didn’t provide an explanation.
Ryan, of course, is not running for president so his views on executive powers aren’t quite as relevant as they were in 2019. Moreover, the ACLU’s question didn’t say anything about increasing undocumented immigration to the U.S. or keeping people in immigration detention long enough for long-term health care to be relevant.
“Saying he’d provide medical care to transgender people in prison or immigration detention is quite a bit different that what Vance is suggesting,” one Twitter user noted. “Vance makes it sound like he’s planning to recruit transgender people from other countries.”
Saying he'd provide medical care to transgender people in prison or immigration detention is quite a bit different that what Vance is suggesting. Vance makes it sound like he's planning to recruit transgender people from other countries.
— Crunk (@Crunk1977) November 4, 2022
Others just mocked Vance for the suggestion that this is anything to be worried about.
I thought they were coming here to hand out rainbow fentanyl at Halloween. 🙄
— Brian O'Loughlin 🍀🐶🌊 (@brianoloughlin9) November 4, 2022
And then those trans illegal immigrants will go to elementary schools and teach critical race theory in drag before grooming the kids to dress up as cats and use the litter boxes in their classrooms!
— liberalicious (@liberalicious) November 4, 2022
“YOU GET REASSIGNMENT SURGERY AND YOU GET REASSIGNMENT SURGERY AND YOU GET REASSIGNMENT SURGERY! EVERYBODY GETS REASSIGNMENT SURGERY!”
— Matt Skywalker (@Jedi_Adopted) November 4, 2022
I was promised taco trucks at every intersection.
— Andy Hall (@AndyHal15523851) November 4, 2022
Why stop there? Tell everyone that the dems are using tax dollars to fund gender assignments on actual aliens from other planets. Their voters will believe anything, so why not make it an interplanetary crisis?
— Doug Cormier (@workhorse00) November 4, 2022
Reminds me of the idea balls episode of South Park mocking Family Guy. pic.twitter.com/L33NIXON3D
— Alejandra Caraballo 🐀 (@Esqueer_) November 4, 2022
When I tell people what Conservatives are saying they're insisting I'm making a strawman argument. If anything I don't say the craziest stuff cause I already know what people think I'm being hyperbolic when I tell them what the largest news anchor in the US says
— Xenosbreed 🏳️⚧️🌺 (@Xenosbreed) November 4, 2022
I had to listen to it like three times to make sure I heard it right.
— Kat Abu (@abughazalehkat) November 4, 2022
According to Real Clear Politics, Vance is ahead by 3.3 points in an average of recent polls of Ohio.
