Donald Trump is used to defending himself. But this week, the Republican presidential nominee has been put in the rare position of having to defend someone else — his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.

When Vance was first introduced at the Republican National Convention last month, many GOP officials said they didn’t know much about him. Since then, the void has been filled with multiple reports of controversial statements — especially Vance’s previous suggestion that Vice President Kamala Harris and other so-called “childless cat ladies” want to make the country miserable — that have made his rollout among the most turbulent in recent history.