The new MAGA movement successor to Trump, JD Vance, takes center stage. Sen. JD Vance, the running mate of Donald Trump, ascended the stage for the first time Tuesday afternoon in Milwaukee, to a little cheer from the Republican National Convention floor. The teleprompters were programmed with the Gettysburg Address, taking into account Vance's imposing stature. During his lunchtime stroll, Vance, an Ohio State man verging on wearing Michigan colors, crossed his arms over a navy suit and gold tie and glanced out with a faint smile. In front of him was a room packed with empty chairs that would soon be occupied with partygoers he had been personally chosen to lead one day.
Vance will speak to the convention on Wednesday in his capacity as the party's vice presidential nominee and prospective MAGA successor. Looking ahead to the future of his political movement, Trump chose a 39-year-old first-term senator from the nation's heartland over more seasoned Republicans with stronger party ties. People close to Trump claim that he never really expected his last vice president, Mike Pence, to lead the party when he left office; instead, he is looking to Vance to do so. Regarding the choice of Vance, a person close to Trump told CNN, "it's very clear that Trump wants someone who can carry the movement on." The fact that Vance was chosen to carry the torch was not a surprise; Trump withheld his selection until he was ready to make it public.
The former president was looking for a running mate who would be "a strong leader who will make a great president for eight years after his next four-year term finishes," as said in remarks released some months ago by Trump's campaign. How could that someone be Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, who will turn 71 the next election cycle? Or Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican who is well-liked by funders but who is nevertheless met with skepticism from some of Trump's most devoted followers. Who else could it have been than Vance, who in his two years in Washington has come to represent a new breed of pugilistic, populist politicians modeled after Donald Trump? "What Trump's doing here is showing that he wants the next generation of America first, the next generation of conservatives, and the next generation of the party to really be one that has come up through his movement, through his wing of the party, as opposed to the more neo-conservative George Bush wing," stated Jack Posobiec, a right-wing acolyte of the former president with millions of online followers. Previously referring to himself as a “Never Trump guy,” Vance reappeared in politics as a supporter with the assistance of the oldest son of the former president. Early on, Donald Trump Jr. saw the qualities that he thought made Vance deserving of a second look.
He has always understood and connected with his father's most fervent followers better than other members of their family. In his best-selling book "Hillbilly Elegy," Vance narrated his captivating life story. The son of a heroin addict, he was reared by his grandparents in impoverished rust-belt Ohio before joining the Marines and enrolling at Ohio State University and Yale Law. In addition, he was a talented public speaker whose ideas connected with middle America and made both party elites take note. As a result of their growing friendship, Vance was able to win Trump's support during a heated race for the vacant Ohio Senate seat. Ultimately, in 2022, Vance prevailed in both the primary and the general election. As a senator, Vance soon gained the support of Trump's populist movement's intellectual leaders. In addition to effectively defending Trump on cable television, he has also expressed the skepticism of the isolationist side against US engagement in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The leaders of the MAGA movement praised Vance highly in a widely circulated Politico piece that proclaimed him the New Right's standard-bearer. Vance was described as "by far the smartest and the deepest (senator) of any I've ever met" by conservative pundit Tucker Carlson.
“Before going to prison earlier this month for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who occasionally hosted Vance on his far-right "War Room" podcast, said to Politico in March that "I'm sure he'll run for the presidency one day." Bannon, Carlson, and Trump Jr. demonstrated a significant impact on Trump's selection, as seen by their discussions with the former president in the last days preceding his announcement. On the convention stage on Tuesday afternoon, as they got ready for their big moments, Vance and Trump Jr. shared an embrace. Introducing Vance on Wednesday is Trump Jr., who stated, "I have seen his actions in the Senate." The past few years have allowed me to get to know him better. His youthful energy and his capacity to effectively pursue the matter. I see him performing so much better in what we may consider to be hostile media area. Many Republicans rapidly gathered inside the convention hall around Vance as their new choice for vice president and the leader of their party. Like Vance, Rep. Kat Cammack is a millennial from Florida who has emerged as a key figure among the younger Republican generation."
"If Donald Trump feels confident and has that certainty for JD to carry that mantle, he is going to make sure that person is sincere in his belief in the MAGA movement, in the America First movement," Cammack said. Doubters are still there, though. CNN was informed by a top Republican official, "I don't know what Vance brings to the ticket," Another Republican consultant focused on House and Senate contests took exception at the notion that Vance may assist win over voters who are disenchanted with Trump. The advisor questioned, "How does JD win over (Nikki) Haley voters?" Vance will undoubtedly face obstacles in keeping his place as the heir apparent in Trump's party. The loose alliance of people that now make up the party's base—some of whom never even bothered to vote until the former reality TV star chose to venture into politics—cannot be held together by anybody save Trump. Only Trump has succeeded in persuading some of the Democratic Party's most steadfast supporters—Black voters, Latinos, and union households—to think about switching parties while also winning over Evangelical voters and pro-business Republicans.
During Trump's search, some of Vance's critics were quick to point out that the two years prior, in a resoundingly red Ohio, Vance had won his Senate seat by a mere 6 points, behind Mike DeWine, the state's Republican governor, by 19 points. It's no secret that Trump has a short fuse when it comes to those that he no longer considers to be politically valuable. Nobody is more aware of this than Pence, Vance's predecessor on the GOP ticket. Longtime presidential aide Vance stated that he "will be the front runner as long as (Trump) says so." If the Trump-Vance ticket loses this November's election, other Republicans will undoubtedly have an opinion about who they think should be the party's next leader. As about the future of his party, former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker remarked, "This doesn't guarantee it but Ronald Reagan was president for two terms and George Herbert Walker Bush was president after that."
"Ultimately, everything hinges not only on winning the election but also on what occurs afterward." Vance is still seen as a direct threat to anyone looking past Trump to 2028. While acknowledging that four years is a long time, Iowa Federation of Republican Women President Michelle Crawford also noted that Vance would probably have a significant advantage in her state, which is customarily the first stop on the GOP presidential nomination schedule. Crawford said, "I think there's absolutely potential for that, but so much can happen." "And the delegation from Iowa will support that too if Trump believes in him."
Within Gov. Ron DeSantis' political circle, there was optimism that Trump would select Burgum as his running mate, since this would provide more space for someone else to take the reins as the party's face in four years, numerous sources told CNN. Vance, a "young peer leader of the Trump wing of the party," according to a DeSantis fundraiser, poses an urgent danger to the political destiny of the governor of Florida. People like DeSantis, who opposed the past president or did not support him enough, are no longer seen as deserving successors by many of Trump's most ardent supporters. Posobiec said CNN, "Gov. DeSantis had a perfect opportunity to be the heir if he wanted to be." He had the opportunity to support Donald Trump and act as his strongest ally during the campaign, which may have resulted in him being chosen today.
However, he made his choice, as is well known. Longtime Virginia conservative radio host John Fredericks, who has spoken with Trump multiple times, described Vance's selection as a "12-year legacy pick" that "ended the presidential aspirations" of Glenn Youngkin, the governor of his home state, and other candidates hoping to challenge Trump for the party's nomination. From the convention floor on Monday, Fredericks told CNN, "You can forget about Youngkin." "Trump froze them all." This is what he left behind. He is aware of it. After four years, he is done. He thus requires someone to carry on that tradition. That is the reason he chose JD Vance.
