Philly Leader

U.S. Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said at a Philadelphia rally yesterday that, while the media is offended about a "sarcastic" remark Vance made before ran for U.S. Senate, he has offended about rising grocery prices and the open southern border.

"What I said is very simple: I think American families are good and government policy should be more pro-family," said Vance at the rally at 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia. "If the media wants to get offended about a sarcastic remark I made before I even ran for the Senate, then the media is entitled to get offended."

"You know what I'm offended by?" said Vance. "That normal Americans can't afford groceries, that Kamala Harris opened up the American southern border, and I'm offended that she wants to be the people's president but cannot answer tough questions."

The cost of some basic food staples in Pennsylvania, such as fruit, has increased by 439% since 2021, according to an analysis of Shop ’n Save grocery ads by Keystone Today. 

A 6 oz package of blackberries at the supermarket chain has a regular price of $5.39 as of July 23, 2024, which is $4.39 as of June 20, 2024, which is $2.61 more than the $1.00 for the same size package of blackberries on January 20, 2021. 

That marks a total increase of 493% for blackberries since 2021 at Shop ’n Save, outpacing the supposed 2.7% inflation rate for food for the last year, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Inflation fell in June, 2024, for the first time in four years, as inflation has steadily increased throughout the Biden-Harris administration. 

President Donald Trump named Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his Vice President and running mate during the Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee in July. 

Vance was first elected to serve Ohio in the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 2022 General Election. He defeated U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), winning 53% to Ryan’s 47%.

Vance served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007, graduated from Ohio State University, and received a J.D. from Yale University Law School. He also is the author of the 2016 book, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” which reached The New York Times Bestseller list in 2016 and 2017. A Middletown, Ohio native, Vance lives with his wife and three children.