Selecting Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as his vice presidential running mate is proof former President Donald Trump isn’t too concerned about winning over undecided and independent voters. The choice says he feels secure about the election, but it also shows the Republican Party’s focus in coming years will stay centered on Trumpism.
While former Vice President Mike Pence represented the staid foil to his boss’s boorish, energetic persona, Vance is a younger, like-minded equal, albeit much more polished and accomplished. And at 39 years old, Vance represents the future of the party in ways Trump simply can’t.
In Vance, Trump has someone on whom he can rely during a second administration, and he also has someone whom he can trust to continue a Trumpian, populist vision. After all, there’s no indication the Republican Party will shift course once Trump’s time as a public political figure is over.
For all the criticisms of Vance, unintelligence is not one of them. He famously rose from a poverty-stricken childhood, captured in his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, to the military, college, Yale Law School, work as a venture capitalist, the Senate, and now a vice presidential nomination. He is bright, young, and firmly on Trump’s side.
His conversion from Trump critic to one of the former president’s biggest supporters is frequently mentioned by detractors who have supported Trump from the beginning. But the evolution from vocally Never Trump to pro-Trump is actually a safer bet for the 45th president. While Pence lost favor in Trump’s eyes as time went along, especially toward and since the end of the Trump administration, Vance considered the breadth of Trump’s influence and grew to appreciate him and his presidency. That’s what Trump wants now. And that’s what he needs to push his legacy into the decades to come.
When asked about the 2020 election during an interview with George Stephanopoulos in February, Vance said, “If I had been vice president, I would have told the states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and so many others, that we needed to have multiple slates of electors, and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there.”
That alone is far different from Pence and his refusal to give in to Trump’s demands. Pence’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, though correct, forever solidified him as an enemy of both Trump and his supporters.
In terms of policy, Vance represents a departure from traditionally held GOP stances. According to Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute, “The emergence of Trump has caused a populist, aggressive side of the GOP to split off on economics, and Vance is one of the leaders of that populist caucus. Trump is much more economically populist, anti-free trade than traditional Republicans, and Vance has pushed hard to support this new populist economics in the GOP.”
Concerning foreign policy, Vance voted against aid to Ukraine. In February 2022 while appearing on Steve Bannon’s show, Vance declared, “I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.” Vance has been clear about his desire to pivot from focusing on Russia to China.
On the subject of abortion, Vance’s recent comments about supporting access to the abortion pill may give some conservatives pause in their assessment of him. But it is not stopping major pro-life groups from declaring support for a Trump-Vance ticket.
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Vance almost seamlessly fits in with the “America First” mindset so popular among the MAGA Right. In ways Pence stood out awkwardly, Vance fits right in next to Trump. Pence was a safe choice in terms of encouraging evangelicals and more traditional conservatives to vote for Trump the first two times.
Vance’s selection is evidence that Trump feels his electoral chances against President Joe Biden are good. With that aspect set aside, Trump’s priority is keeping the momentum that has carried him this far going. For Trump, who is clearly the one to beat in this race, Vance as a running mate is as good as it gets.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.