Is Trump’s Pick Of J.D. Vance A Political Masterstroke? The Answer Is Yes
Former President Donald Trump’s selection of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance might surprise you, but it shouldn’t. The 39-year-old first-term senator is a solid, smart pick who will not only bring youth, energy and vigor to the ticket, but also a wealth of hard life experience, highly unusual for someone so young.
Trump’s announcement gave the bare bones of why he selected Vance over the many others who vied to be his running mate:
After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio. J.D. honorably served our country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Yale Law School Graduate, where he was editor of The Yale Law Journal, and president of the Yale Law Veterans Association.
All excellent qualifications.
But there is a lot more to Vance, whose life story would fill a book. Indeed, it already has: His memoir of his hardscrabble, troubled childhood in a single-parent household headed by a drug-addicted mother, “Hillbilly Elegy,” became a surprise best-seller in 2016, the same year Trump first won election.
While much of America didn’t know who Vance was, Trump did. Vance’s book, better than any other, explained why Trump had such a fanatic following in America’s rural and industrially ravaged heartland.
It was that book, and Vance’s own experience, that won him the backing of Trump for a 2022 run for an open U.S. Senate seat in Ohio. Vance won.
Now, with Trump’s announcement, Vance (born during the Reagan administration) becomes the first millennial to have a spot on a major-party presidential ticket. He’s part of a shift from the current political gerontocracy that rules Washington to a new generation of leaders who will inherit America’s most serious problems. Vance is in the vanguard.
Ironically, Vance started out as a “never-Trumper” in 2016, but found over the years that he and Trump saw eye-to-eye on many issues. Vance has since shown himself to be uniquely in tune with Trump on many key issues: abortion (let the states decide); illegal immigration (it’s dangerous and out of control); protecting children from grotesque sex reassignment surgery and so-called puberty blockers (Vance authored the Protect Children’s Innocence Act); “unaccountable” military and government aid to Ukraine; continued U.S. backing for its ally Israel; and advocacy for shifting foreign policy to focus on our growing rivalry with China while bolstering our allies across Asia.
Beyond policy, it doesn’t hurt that Vance’s Ohio has 17 electoral votes, and Vance will help Trump once again win that state and give him an electoral boost across the troubled Midwest, which Trump must win to be reelected.
Nor does it hurt that Vance, who worked as a venture capitalist with legendary Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, has an extensive understanding of finance and equally deep ties to high-tech political donors. Or that Vance worked as a combat reporter while serving as a Marine in Iraq.
For those who don’t know but who’ll soon see, Vance’s keen intelligence is plainly evident when he speaks. But he’s no wonk. He has no problem evincing sympathy and genuine, unfeigned concern for the plight of working people and those who suffer joblessness, poverty, and drug and alcohol abuse. He’s seen those things first-hand.
This is no small thing: In part, the Democrats’ visceral hatred for Trump comes from the very real fear they have of losing their reputation as the party of the working class. In fact, they’re mainly backed these days by the hyper-liberal Big Media, and funded by leftist billionaires and Big Labor, which constantly sells out its own members.
There’s one more very important political aspect to Vance’s selection: He’ll soon likely square off against current Vice President Kamala Harris in a debate. Who do you think will win that? Meanwhile, whether Trump or Biden wins, they’ll have just four more years in the White House, so we’ll ask the inevitable question: Which vice presidential candidate would you rather see just a heartbeat away from the presidency? Looks like a pretty easy pick to us.
Comments are closed.
