'Absolute dumpster fire': Vance blasts Biden admin’s failures regarding wildfires, border security

Vice President-elect JD Vance appeared on Fox News Sunday where he addressed pressing national issues including the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and the ongoing crisis at the southern border.

Speaking with host Shannon Bream, Vance criticized what he called a “lack of competent governance” in California, linking it to the severe impact of the wildfires that have displaced over 200,000 residents and destroyed countless homes.

"There is a serious lack of competent governance in California, and I think it's part of the reason why these fires have gotten so bad. We need to do a better job at both the state and federal level,” Vance explained.

His comments follow public scrutiny of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who has faced backlash for cutting over $17 million from the city’s fire department budget. California Governor Gavin Newsom has also been criticized, including by President-elect Donald Trump, for the state’s lack of preemptive policies that have led to inadequate water resources available to firefighters.

The discussion also shifted to immigration policy, where Vance addressed the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis. Bream questioned what the immigration policies under the Trump administration will look like, as the president-elect has vowed to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Vance preemptively criticized the media’s framing of Trump-era policies, calling the term “family separation” a “euphemism” and a “dishonest term” designed to hide the fact that Biden did not secure the border properly.

Vance also pushed back against claims that the administration is pursuing an immigration policy that is not “compassionate.”

“It is not compassion to allow the drug cartels to traffic small children. It is not compassionate to allow the worst people in the world to send minor children, some of them victims of sex trafficking, into our country,” Vance rebutted. “You’re not going to exacerbate it through law enforcement, you’re going to fix it through law enforcement. And that’s what Donald Trump is going to do.”

In the interview, Vance made a broader critique of the Biden administration, describing the current state of federal governance as an “absolute dumpster fire.” He blamed Biden’s policies for exacerbating crises related to FEMA, the border, energy, and more. However, he still expressed enthusiasm for the incoming administration and their desire to enact positive change.

With Inauguration Day just eight days away, Vance said that the administration is “excited” to get to work and tackle these pressing issues.