In my eyes, this was more or less a two-horse race down the stretch to get the nod from Trump as his VP.
I had believed it would be Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) all along, and I still believe that is the direction Trump was going to go up until about a week ago, but Senator JD Vance (R-OH), a newcomer to elected office, swooped in and was chosen by Trump. How did that happen?
Talking Points…
- Top VP choices
- Vance put himself on the map
- Analysis
Heading into the convention, this was between Vance and Scott… of that, I have no doubt. Other names were mentioned, but they were nothing more than window dressing.
I have always thought Scott was the ideal choice for Trump because of what he brought to the table. Yes, Scott would draw in minority voters, but he was about far more than just checking a box. Scott is also a moderate, and Trump needs that to draw in moderate Republicans and Independent voters who are on the fence. He is also well-liked and well-respected, and I believe he would have been able to walk across the aisle to help get deals done for Trump.
Then there was JD Vance, a former never-Trumper whose words during the 2016 election will likely be turned into advertising fodder to use against the campaign. Since he decided to run for office, he got behind Trump, and Trump wound up endorsing Vance in a hotly contested seat in the Senate, which Vance obviously won. Since taking that seat, he has been one of Trump's greatest advocates.
Vance had written a best-selling book, but that was not what got him on Trump's radar. Vance gained national headlines for his response to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Vance mercilessly attacked the Biden administration's response and went to bat for his constituents, actually doing his job, unlike many other members of the Senate and House, who are far more interested in podcasts, writing books, doing TV, and generating likes and clicks on their social media accounts.
To that point, after the spill took place, Vance stated:
"If you talk to people, this is people who want to move on from this disaster, this is people are still worried about chemical contamination, they want to know with confidence that 10 years down the road, if something happens to their kids, God forbid, or themselves, they can trace it to this accident or not.
"The only way to do that is to do the health baseline screening that we have talked about and we have tried to pressure the Biden Administration into doing something about – they have been completely unmoved on it."
When the Biden administration tried to blame the spill on Trump, Vance immediately turned into an attack dog, stating:
"Stop blaming Donald Trump, a guy who hasn't been president for three years, and use the powers of the federal government to do the things necessary to help the people in this community."
That event put Vance on the map and caught Trump's eye, and he continued to stay there throughout the campaign, fearlessly defending Trump.
Vance's hard work in East Palestine is what got him on Trump's radar, but Vance managed to stay there by continuing to fight. He also happens to be very good friends with Vivek Ramaswamy, who has gotten in Trump's ear since endorsing Trump. I have never hidden the fact that I don't trust Ramaswamy as far as I can throw him, but I am going to give Vance the benefit of the doubt until he proves otherwise. What I love about this pick is that it finally introduces some youth to an administration.
This will clearly put Vance atop the presidential race in 2028, more or less ending Ron DeSantis' hopes of becoming president. So, then, the question becomes who Vance would choose as his VP in 2028. There are already rumors starting that this could all be a setup to put Trump Jr. on the ticket in the hopes of him becoming president in 2036. That is putting the cart before the horse, however, as the Trump-Vance ticket needs to win in 2024 first.
