The Right Reacts to ‘Vice President J.D. Vance’
Conservatives are enthusiastic about Trump’s pick.
The post The Right Reacts to ‘Vice President J.D. Vance’ appeared first on The American Conservative.
The Right Reacts to ‘Vice President J.D. Vance’
Conservatives are enthusiastic about Trump’s pick.
On Monday afternoon at the Republican National Convention, over an hour earlier than the public expected, the former President Donald Trump announced his selection of Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) as his 2024 Vice President running mate.
Vance had long been one of the VP favorites heading into the convention. Both Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), two other VP frontrunners, were informed they had not been chosen shortly before the official announcement.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, “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.” He concluded, “As Vice President, J.D. will continue to fight for our Constitution, stand with our Troops, and will do everything he can to help me MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
Rubio, Burgum, and dark horse candidate Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) quickly showed their support for a Trump-Vance ticket on X.
Tucker Carlson addressed a crowd at the Heritage Foundation’s Policy Fest shortly after the news broke. He called Vance “a perfectly nice guy. He’s one of the only members of the senate with a happy marriage.” He also said, “I’m not gonna make the case for J.D. Vance, I’m going to tell you what I just saw—which is that every bad person I’ve ever met in a lifetime in Washington was aligned against J.D. Vance. And I do think that a negative take is often more powerful.”
The former GOP presidential candidate and fellow Ohioan Vivek Ramaswamy chimed in via X, “So proud of my friend, classmate, and fellow southwest Ohioan today…. He’ll be an outstanding Vice President and I look forward to everything ahead for him and for our country.”
“I have rock-solid conviction that J.D. will be an outstanding VP for President Trump,” he elaborated to The American Conservative. “The only negative is this leaves our side missing one of our best fighters in the Senate. If asked to serve, I would strongly consider the position and would discuss with President Trump which path makes the most sense for our country.”
Some of Vance’s senate colleagues also spoke to TAC. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) told TAC, “J.D. Vance is an exceptional fighter for hardworking American families in the U.S. Senate, and is an outstanding running mate for President Trump to Make America Great Again from the White House. I look forward to working with him in his future role as President of the Senate to defend freedom and strengthen our country.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) wrote to TAC saying, “I’m sad to lose him as a colleague, but that says all you need to know about him.”
A senate hopeful, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), told TAC in a written statement, “J.D. Vance appeals to the working class and midwestern voters who will decide the election, and he’s committed to the Trump agenda of secure borders and strong American industry. President Trump made a great political decision for his campaign that’s an even better choice for our country.”
House members also expressed their excitement. A campaign spokesperson for Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) also told TAC, “Senator Vance is a leader of the highest caliber who represents the best of the America First movement. He has a reputation of putting the everyday people of this country above the establishment elites and has worked to demolish the status quo of corruption and dishonesty. Senator Vance is the perfect running mate to fortify President Trump’s historic vision for the nation.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) told TAC, “Could not be more thrilled. We’re taking this country back!”
The larger conservative movement also expressed their excitement.
“JD Vance is a perfect pick. He’s intelligent, right-minded, and politically impressive,” Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire commented to TAC. “Above all, his selection signals that President Trump has a vision that extends far beyond the next four years.”
Dr. Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, reacted in real time to the news at a press conference. He told the press, “You will see a broad smile on my face, because you may know that we’re good friends…. Why were we rooting for him? Not even because of politics and policy, but because of who he is. J.D. Vance is a great husband. He is a great dad. He’s been a great member of the Senate.” Roberts continued, “He understands the moment we are in this country, which is that we have a limited amount of time to implement great policy on behalf of forgotten Americans, someone J.D. Vance personifies. At Heritage, we could not be happier.”
Rachel Bovard of the Conservative Partnership Institute and a TAC board member, wrote “Establishment Washington is now officially on notice. Trump 2.0 will not be business as usual. Vance is a Washington outsider who is appropriately skeptical of the interests that run this town, from the intelligence agencies to corporate lobbyists. He is one of the most naturally gifted politicians of his generation and represents a new era for Republican politics—one that has middle class America at the center.”
Theo Wold, former Idaho Solicitor General, also told TAC, “J.D. Vance is a VP pick that speaks to the issues a majority of Americans care about. He believes the system is enriching economic elites and harming working-class people. He is with Americans on restricting immigration, avoiding unnecessary wars, and confronting the unaccountable administrative state. He is committed to the long project of reversing our cultural degeneracy and once again making this nation a home for American citizens.”
Oren Cass, Chief Economist at American Compass, wrote in a statement, “Senator Vance is an exceptional choice. He has a unique understanding of how the past generation of American policy failure has harmed American workers, their families, and their communities…. The future of the American right-of-center, in a Trump-Vance administration and beyond, is a working-class conservatism that emphasizes the importance of family, community, and industry to the nation’s liberty and prosperity.”
Saurabh Sharma, president of American Moment, told TAC, “President Trump has picked the single best possible choice to be his vice president. Senator Vance has been the most eloquent champion for the revolution in the Republican policy agenda President Trump kicked off in 2015. He is going to be an invaluable asset on the campaign trail, and help deliver the blue wall that is essential to 270.”
He added, “Young conservatives will see a role-model in Senator Vance. He’s an example of the American dream in action, and extremely clear-eyed about the threats to it in the 21st century. The Trump-Vance ticket is the strongest presidential ticket in modern history. Together, they will Make America Great Again.”
Meanwhile, Ryan Williams, the president of the Claremont Institute, also told TAC, “Senator J.D. Vance is the ideal pick for Trump’s Vice President. It’s hard to find a more articulate and passionate advocate for the politics and policies that will save American democracy from the forces of progressive oligarchy and despotism.”
Patrick Deneen, Professor at Notre Dame, said via Saagar Enjeti, “Senator Vance represents the ideal choice for Donald Trump’s instinctive connection to the working classes and rural America to extend to a new, younger generation…. J.D. combines a dedication to domestic productivity, foreign policy realism, and a deep commitment to strengthening American families and the communities that sustain them. He is a man of deep personal faith and integrity, a devoted family man, a generous friend, and a genuine patriot.”
John Schweppe of the American Principles Project said, “J.D. Vance is someone voters can trust. In his short time in Washington, he has already demonstrated a commitment to defying the demands of the billionaire class to support the needs of his working class constituents.”
Trump has also made inroads with the business community as of late. After the Vance announcement, Elon Musk declared on X:
With Vance, the Trump ticket just became much more formidable. And Americans finally have the answer to who will carry the mantle of America First when Trump is no longer the GOP frontman.
The post The Right Reacts to ‘Vice President J.D. Vance’ appeared first on The American Conservative.