In the 2010-era sketch comedy series Key & Peele, former President Barack Obama had an “anger translator” who would interpret his calmly delivered pronouncements into rage-fueled tirades, revealing Obama’s deepest inner thoughts.
If Obama said, “We count on the press to shed light on the most important issues of the day,” the translator, named Luther, would say, “And we can count on Fox News to terrify old white people with some nonsense!”
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If Obama said, “Hillary Clinton will have to raise huge sums of money to win the White House,” the translator would add, “Oh yeah! She gon’ get that money.”
And if Obama said, “We need to stay focused on big challenges, like climate change,” the translator would throw in, “If you haven’t noticed, California is bone dry! It looks like a trailer for the new Mad Max movie up in there.”
A decade later, it could be said that Vice President JD Vance serves as President Donald Trump‘s policy translator, interpreting Trump’s blunt declarations into calmly delivered statements that reveal the president’s true intentions.
If Trump says, “We have to have Greenland,” Vance would say, “If the people of Greenland were willing to partner with the United States — and I think that they ultimately will partner with the United States — we could make them much more secure.”
If Trump says, “Why wouldn’t there be a regime change [in Iran]?” Vance would add, “We want to achieve the end of the Iranian nuclear program. The Iranians are clearly not very good at war. Perhaps they should follow President Trump’s lead and give peace a chance.”
And if Trump says tariffs are “the most beautiful word” because “we were so rich” when we used them, Vance would throw in, “The fundamental goal of President Trump’s economic policy is, I think, to undo 40 years of failed economic policy in this country. For far too long, we got addicted to cheap labor, both overseas and by importing it into our own country.”
It’s sort of the anger translator in reverse, with Trump dishing out the hot takes and Vance coming in to smooth things over for more sensitive ears.
In that respect, it’s also an inversion of historic norms in which the president plays the role of statesman and the vice president comes in as the heavy in a good cop, bad cop routine.
“In modern times, presidents have sometimes been relatively more civil in their discourse, while vice presidents have sometimes engaged in rougher language,” said Joel Goldstein, a vice presidential scholar at Saint Louis University.
One good example is former President Richard Nixon, who was a fierce attack dog as Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vice president in the 1950s, leaving Eisenhower as the commander in chief who transcended politics.
But when Nixon was elected president in 1968, Spiro Agnew became “Nixon’s Nixon,” Goldstein said, as Agnew was known for his bombastic attacks on the media, student protesters, and even moderate Republicans.
However, this hasn’t always been the case. As vice presidents, Gerald Ford, Walter Mondale, and George H.W. Bush often spoke more temperately than their bosses, and Dick Cheney, for all of his controversies, could have been a more rational expositor of administration policies than former President George W. Bush two decades ago.
Others argue that Trump is the real outlier in the situation rather than Vance, and that Trump’s first-term vice president, Mike Pence, provided an even stronger contrast to the president thanks to his long history in the pre-Trump GOP.
“Trump is just unique,” said David Greenberg, a professor of history, media studies, and journalism at Rutgers University. “He’s the only president to regularly use such harsh, impulsive, over-the-top, vulgar, and nasty language — and a tone to match — in his public statements. Other presidents might occasionally shock us with their eruptions, but with Trump it’s the norm, [which is] part of what many people find so off-putting about him and part of what others admire.”
Despite his typically polished demeanor, Vance is not immune to fiery social media posts or, especially, heated exchanges with rival politicians and TV journalists.
On the campaign trail, Vance said former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, could “go to hell” over the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. He once blamed “dumb presidents” for the ill-fated Middle Eastern wars of the 2000s, and referred to Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) as “Jose” while defending the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Vance has also sparked memorable one-liners in his TV interviews, notably including, “Martha, do you hear yourself?” and, “I don’t really care, Margaret.”
His most famous, or maybe infamous, moment came at the end of February, when Vance confronted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over gratitude.
“Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?” Vance asked after Zelensky inquired what “kind of diplomacy” could be had with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict,” Vance added.
But in other settings, Vance has articulated the Trump administration’s policy views at length through speeches on the economy, free speech and religious liberty, and the meaning of citizenship.
While Trump seems pleased with Vance’s performance, the question will eventually turn to whether or not the vice president can leap from second-in-command to commander in chief. Trump has avoided weighing in so far, saying Vance is very capable but that “you have a lot of very capable people.”
Vance’s refined manner and policy chops play well among certain voter types, but Trump was elected twice and secured the GOP presidential nomination three consecutive times with his brawling, name-calling, all-caps style of politics.
The YouTube comments section of a recent Vance speech at the Claremont Institute revealed a split in Republican views of him.
“JD Vance. The ‘articulate’ Donald Trump,” one comment said.
Another seemed to agree that the speech was articulate but had a different takeaway.
“That was so perfect, it scared me,” the comment said. “Always loved Vance, but he’s like a robot.”
Jason Miller, a longtime Trump adviser, said Vance has learned a lot quickly since he was named Trump’s running mate a year ago.
“President Trump is a one of one, but I would say that the vice president stands head and shoulders above most everyone else in the political space,” Miller said. “He’s really figured out what works for him and how you can communicate these important issues without sounding like a politician.”
Miller didn’t bite when asked about Vance’s 2028 plans, but praised him more generally.
“The vice president has been very smart to not talk about anything beyond the current task at hand,” Miller added. “That being said, I would say that most people believe he has a very bright political future ahead of him, and he’s an absolute juggernaut on the campaign trail.”
Vance spokesman Will Martin made a similar point while also praising Trump as the leader of the Republican Party.
“Vice President Vance has learned a tremendous amount from President Trump over the years, and it’s clear that influence has had a positive effect,” Martin said. “Of course, while the vice president is always eager to talk about how this White House is delivering for the American people by securing the southern border and making life more affordable for working families, there is no better spokesperson for this administration than President Trump himself.”
While Vance is unlikely to win friends on the political Left anytime soon, he’s won tremendous influence on the Right, and some argue he’s already the de facto 2028 GOP nominee.
Presidential historian Craig Shirley said that ultimately, it’s not Vance’s communication style that matters most but his authenticity.
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“One thing I always told my clients is to be yourself, or as Socrates said, know yourself,” Shirley said. “Voters can smell a phony a mile away, but they like sincerity.”
“If a man is going to be blunt, they say, ‘Okay, he’s blunt, that’s his style,'” he added. “And if a man is going to be smooth and urbane and sophisticated and nuanced, they say, ‘okay, that’s his style.'”