The Running Mate--How Will it Play?

The man from the American Rust Belt hasn’t always been a booster of “Number 45”

Vance, 39, surprisingly appeared on Trump’s short list of possible VP picks, along with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (himself a recent contender for the White House) and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. The junior Senator from Ohio overcame incredible personal hardships to position himself just one election away from the second most powerful office in America.

Born into an impoverished, fatherless family and to a drug addict mother, Senator Vance made a critical decision in 2003, one that was life-changing. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps fresh out of high school (a mere 21 years ago). This period, which saw the young man assigned to the Public Affairs section of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, marked what Vance called “the defining chapter” of his life. It was then that he first developed a sense of purpose. Interestingly, Senator Vance is the first former enlisted veteran to appear on the ballot since Al Gore’s run for the presidency against George W. Bush in 2000.

Yet, the man from the American Rust Belt hasn’t always been a booster of “Number 45.” Indeed, Vance’s past comments about his now running mate have been just as caustic and cynical as some of what has been featured in the modern liberal media.

“I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical [expletive deleted] like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler,” Vance wrote back in 2016. “How’s that for discouraging?”

Trump essentially decided on someone who was young, energetic and shares his political vision

On another occasion he wrote in The Atlantic that “Trump’s promises are the needle in America’s collective vein…Trump is cultural heroin. He makes some feel better for a bit. But he cannot fix what ails them, and one day they’ll realize it.”

But in a fashion (characteristic of the “DC Swamp"), where politicians regularly run their mouths, alliances (and therefore governing) would not occur if every single criticism was taken at face value. Given the controversial outspoken manner of Donald Trump, finding a running mate who never uttered a negative remark about him would be virtually impossible. It appears that the former president essentially decided on someone who was young, energetic and shares his political vision – setting aside the personal attacks – as “politics.”

Yet, Vance’s early remarks critical of the former president could also work to his advantage today. He likely will employ them to illustrate how he and so many other Americans misunderstood Trump and perhaps listened to the strident mantra of the media maligning the former president. Such comments will resonate with many Americans, especially after the emotional upheaval from the attempt on President Trump’s life.

Points of Agreement

The issue upon which Trump and Vance see eye-to-eye is the Ukrainian conflict, which can be compared to the name of a once popular movie in America, The Money Pit. And this view of Ukraine is not lost on others in DC. In early 2023, Vance and three dozen other Republican members of Congress forwarded a letter to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, demanding a full accounting of the military assistance provided to Ukraine.

So far, Uncle Sam has allocated $175 billion in aid to Ukraine, some $67 billion of which is defense-related (which included expenditures for regional allies and the US military). The balance of the $100 billion supports Ukraine directly (state budget costs, pensions, military salaries, etc.).

One other financial note of agreement between Trump and Vance will be loathe to the EU. They both share the view that the European Union must assume greater responsibility for its own security. With former President Trump back in the White House, Washington could scale back its defense funding abroad.

“The United States has provided a blanket of security to Europe for far too long,” the senator from Ohio wrote in an opinion piece for Financial Times, going on to describe America’s contributions to NATO and assistance for Ukraine as “an implied tax on the American people for the security of Europe.”

“The question each European nation needs to ask itself is this: are you prepared to defend yourself? And the question the US must ask is: if our European allies can’t even defend themselves, are they allies, or clients?”

Another area where Vance and Trump have nearly identical views is the Middle East. It is now experiencing one of its most dangerous conflicts as Israel continues its war in Gaza against Hamas following the latter's deadly incursion into Israeli territory on October 7 of last year.

Vance has gone on record as saying that antisemitism must be prosecuted. “If you beat up a Jew and don’t face consequences, the attacks will continue and get worse,” he said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post in 2022. In response to antisemitic, pro-Palestinian demonstrations on university campuses, Senator Vance introduced a bill that would preclude federal funding to colleges and universities if they fail to remove disruptive encampments from their campuses.

It is certainly no secret that Trump is fiercely pro-Israel. In 2017, he formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, followed later by the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to that ancient city. The move was viewed by the West (US, EU, UK) as disruptive. Moreover, it spawned violence in Gaza and the land of Judea and Samaria (i.e. the West Bank) where the Palestinian Authority proclaims East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

One last distinguishing feature about J.D. Vance (and some may consider this a stretch) and it may work to his advantage on the “ticket” is that of his wife, Usha Chilukuri – the daughter of Telugu-speaking Indian immigrants Krish and Lakshmi Chilukuri.

Recent political opinion polls indicate otherwise. Many voters (Black, Hispanic, Asian, Indian and White) will admire and some even identify with the background of JD Vance

The political divide and cultural climate in the US is such that the idea of two Christian Caucasian men at the helm of America might be ameliorated by the presence (or at least the appearance) of greater cultural diversity.

For those who think the comment above may be of no consequence, the Republican National Convention certainly didn't think so. Consider the cultural display on Monday, where Harmeet Dhillon, a Sikh, began the evening by singing a prayer to her religion’s god (i.e. not the Christian god). This was followed by a speech from former porn star Amber Rose who told the enthusiastic audience: “Donald Trump and his supporters don’t care if you're Black, White, gay or straight, it’s all love.”

It seems that Donald Trump in particular and the Republican Party in general are sensitive to the need to not be viewed as a caricature of the false perception that the people who support them are white Christian voters. Recent political opinion polls indicate otherwise. Many voters (Black, Hispanic, Asian, Indian and White) will admire and some even identify with the background of JD Vance. One idea rings plausible: the senator from Ohio does perhaps support the idea of a degree (not just the appearance) of diversity in the Republican contingent for the presidency – culturally and socially. On November 5th of this year we will find out if that perception is valid – will the good senator from Ohio make a difference – one way or the other?