A new report from The New York Times has detailed how J.D. Vance went from “a never-Trump guy,” to his vice president, summarizing that Vance “played his cards nearly perfectly.”
Vance originally made headlines in 2016 after he wrote his New York Times bestseller, Hillbilly Elegy. Then a Tump critic, Vance took regular shots at him, calling him an “idiot” and “reprehensible.”
However, in February 2021, Vance realized he needed Trump’s support if he wanted to win the Ohio GOP-senate primary.
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According to The New York Times, Vance met with Trump in Mar-a-Lago that month for the first time to discuss his political future.
Trump reportedly opened the conversation by pressing him on his past criticisms—Vance folded and apologized.
Trump ended up endorsing Vance on April 15, weeks before the May 3 primary. The former president reportedly enjoyed watching Vance trounce his GOP-challenger, Josh Mandel, in the debates.
Vance’s allies such as venture capitalist and Republican-donor Peter Thiel, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Trump campaign manager Susana Wiles, and Don Jr., all had a direct line to the kingmaker to put in a good word for him, according to The New York Times.
While Vance and his allies applied internal pressure on Trump, externally, he was in the right places at the right time; he was the first VP-hopeful to show up to court when Trump was embroiled in his hush-money trial and he did news hits on channels that Trump watches to defend him.
Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH).
LEON NEALVance’s personal relationship with Thiel also brought Trump closer to Thiel’s buddy, Elon Musk, according to The New York Times. Musk, who refused to donate to either candidate in 2020 and has been the focus of Trump’s ire in the past, reportedly described a Trump-Vance ticket as “beautiful,” and has, since, reportedly donated to the Trump campaign.
David Sacks, another Vance ally, was reportedly swayed by him to donate $12 million to Trump.
Vance’s only real competitor, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, was not palatable to Trump. Trump previously told Brian Kilmeade that Burgum’s abortion ban was “an issue,” during an appearance on his radio show.
“When I see a man cry I view it as a weakness,” Trump once said, and a Daily Mail article about Burgum’s public choke-ups reportedly repulsed the former president.
The Burgum camp, ironically led by Rupert Murdoch, attempted to convince Trump that Vance’s previous criticism of the former president should disqualify him, according to The New York Times.
“When your enemies are pushing a running mate on you, it’s a pretty good sign you should ignore them,” Tucker reportedly told Trump, referencing his former employer.
However, Vance is someone who Trump believes will play well on TV and in the debates. The New York Times reported that Trump repeatedly told allies he finds Vance both smart and handsome—“those beautiful blue eyes.”
