J.D. Vance gets a lot of grief, with people complaining that he has been a drag on the ticket and has offended too many constituent groups, especially women.
I beg to differ.
As we get closer to next Tuesday’s Vice Presidential debate, it’s time for Vance critics to step back for a minute and rethink their Vance skepticism.
There is one and only one reason why Vance is perceived as a bad choice: the media dirtied him up. You can point to his “crazy cat ladies” quip from a podcast made years ago or some of the other “gaffes” people claim he made, but the fact is that no matter who Trump chose, the very same tactics would be used to destroy them too.
Republicans wet the bed every time on every issue, worrying about what the media will say about some person, position, or image. It’s a fools’ game to worry though. No matter WHAT Republican says WHAT thing, the media and the Democrats will put it in the very worst light or outright lie about what was said or meant.
Look at all the hoaxes deployed against Trump. It simply doesn’t matter what you say or do, the leftists will distort it and make Republicans look terrible.
JD Vance makes an offhanded joke about cat ladies and it runs the news cycle for two weeks.
Kamala is chanting “down down with deportation!” and most of our wonderful media pretends like this video does not exist. Despite the fact it’s been viewed millions of times down here. https://t.co/ejkULDW7hn
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) September 24, 2024
So forget about that. Whoever Trump chose the very same process would happen. Just as the media turned on a dime regarding Kamala Harris, they focused all their attention on destroying Vance because he is the VP candidate, and they would have done the same no matter who it was. If you doubt their ability to distort reality, look at this:
Back in January, Kamala Harris’ approval rating was 28%.
It was 32% at the beginning of the summer.
Today, it is nearly 50%.
What changed? The media coverage. pic.twitter.com/K84lCLAXYd
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 23, 2024
So what makes Vance a superb choice?
He is even better than Trump at striking back at the media, and has proven to be a very effective attack dog who can break through the media bulls**t and get the Republican message out. It isn’t remarkable that Vance took a lot of hits in his rollout; what’s remarkable is that he took the hits and struck back so effectively.
JD Vance absolutely destroys this leftist reporter. I’m very much looking forward to the VP Debate.pic.twitter.com/JtkghG4E59
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) September 24, 2024
Vance doesn’t get distracted, doesn’t let his ego get in the way of pushing out his message, and doesn’t get flustered. While the Harris campaign doesn’t even let Tim Walz speak to the media, Vance does it every day, all day, and he is damn good at it.
He is a million times smarter than the catty midwits in the media, and it shows. This presidential campaign has allowed him to showcase his skills and my respect for him has increased a thousandfold.
An amazing compilation of @JDVance DESTROYING three different leftist Sunday shows hosts today. There is no one better at embarrassing the Fake News. Watch the entire thing and you’ll see what I’m talking about. pic.twitter.com/gYQmlrNnxG
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 15, 2024
Trump moves people at a visceral level, and Vance complements Trump’s strengths and bolsters the more cerebral side of campaigning. That’s why Trump has chosen Vance to do the majority of the hostile interviews. It’s not that Trump is afraid of them–he appears to be afraid of nothing, including bullets–but rather that he knows Vance is better at communicating with people who find Trump too rambling and emotional.
JD Vance says exactly what we were all thinking, BLASTS ungrateful election meddler Zelenskyy:
“I don’t appreciate Zelensky coming to this country and telling the American taxpayers what to do. He ought to say THANK YOU to the American taxpayers!”
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 26, 2024
Vance also can take on certain critics of the ticket in a different way than Trump can. Trump counterpunches, but usually his punches are quips and insults. They may be appropriate, but they aren’t persuasive to Trump skeptics. Vance fills that role well.
Punching back at Zelenskyy was necessary, and Trump can insult him in a way that working-class people appreciate, while Vance complements that counterpunch with a counterargument. Trump gets the emotional tone right for his audience, and Vance gets the intellectual argument right.
It’s ironic because Vance is genuinely from a working-class background, and Trump comes from the elite, but their appeal is the opposite.
WATCH: On the @ShawnRyan762 Podcast, Senator @JDVance gives an in-depth breakdown on how to make government more efficient.
“There are a lot of companies that are getting really rich because Uncle Sam is run by idiots.” pic.twitter.com/DgjndY5VOG
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) September 12, 2024
Vance speaks fluent policy, while Trump speaks fluent dealmaking. They will make an incredibly powerful team when elected, and Vance will help Trump take down the mainstream media and their propaganda operation.
He was the perfect choice.