ANALYSIS – Is Trump regretting his VP pick? Will Trump tell Vance he is “fired”? When former President Donald Trump selected J.D. Vance as his vice presidential candidate soon after surviving an assassination attempt, some called the choice bold and a doubling down on Trumpism.
I said he could help Trump make his case in 2024 and be the GOP standard bearer in 2028. Still, I also said I would have preferred Trump had picked a woman, and that I had some reservations about Vance as VP, including his youth and inexperience.
He is 39 and has only been in elected office as a U.S. senator for less than two years.
My biggest concern though was his strong support from Tucker Carlson. While I have agreed with Carlson a lot over the years, I also have grown increasingly skeptical of his views and judgment.
Regardless, MAGA world quickly swung into action to support Vance. And the left targeted him for destruction.
This, even as the vice presidential nominee is making headlines for his remarkably poor performance in polls. Citing a CNN poll, Business Insider reported that Vance is “the least-liked vice-presidential candidate since 1980.”
Since the election got upended by the Democrat coup against Joe Biden, and the installation of Kamala Harris as his heir apparent, some have been questioning the choice of Vance, saying Trump is now regretting it.
Others are even speculating on when Trump will dump Vance.
National Interest noted:
Reports are now circulating that Trump is having second thoughts about the thirty-nine-year-old Ohio Senator whom Trump tapped to represent the generational change in the GOP. Tim Alberta stated on X that the “Most striking thing I heard from Trump allies yesterday was the second-guessing of JD Vance—a selection, they acknowledged, that was borne of cockiness, meant to run up margins with the base in a blowout rather than persuade swing voters in a nail-biter.”
It's become increasingly clear that Trump was unprepared for President Joe Biden's departure from the race, which allowed Vice President Kamala Harris to win the majority of Democratic delegates on Monday. Put otherwise, Trump, who selected Vance at the recommendation of his son, Don Jr., was caught flatfooted.
It explained: “Vance was supposed to rev up the GOP base for the election, but he will not help with Trump's appeal to swing voters and suburban moms.”
Of course, a lot of this is anti-Trump spin.
But even “Fox & Friends” co-host Steve Doocy had asked Trump on an interview call if he is still “100% standing by J.D. Vance,” to which Trump replied that he has no plans to make a change.
Meanwhile, my concern over Tucker Carlson's enthusiasm for Vance may have been merited.
Mediate pointed out Carlson's informal but outsized role in the Trump orbit, noting he spoke just before Trump's nomination acceptance speech.
It added:
Carlson was also a consistent presence throughout the RNC, and he could be seen yukking it up in Trump's friend and family box.
Carlson is also the most influential figure in Trump's orbit who vociferously pushed for Vance to get the VP pick. Yes, Elon Musk and Donald Trump, Jr also made the case, but it's hard to argue anyone in that world has more political juice than the host of the top-rated conservative podcast.
Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan reported that when Carlson learned that Trump was wavering on selecting Vance, he called the former president to lobby personally on the Ohio Senator's behalf. Vanity Fair's Bess Levin also reported that Trump listened to Carlson. Axios reported the same, as did New Republic, The Hill, and Tim Alberta, to name but a few. One can only guess the source of the scoops, but Carlson himself is a notorious media gossip himself.
Meanwhile, some truly believe Vance will be fired. The lefty New Republic reported that:
Anthony Scaramucci, who set the record for shortest time served in the Trump administration [and is now a rabid Trump-hater], predicted on CNN Thursday that J.D. Vance won't last much longer on the Republican ticket.
Scaramucci foretold that Trump's 2024 campaign obituaries will consider Trump choosing Vance over a more moderate pick, namely Nikki Haley, a misstep. “He could have appealed to a broader base of people, to women, to more independents. But he didn't. He went hard MAGA, he went with a strange guy that's very dull on stage, and you know, Trump hates that,” Scaramucci said.
The outlet added: “Asked if he thought Vance would be replaced, Scaramucci replied, ‘I've had that experience with Donald Trump. I do think he could.'”
Still, the National Interest added:
It remains unlikely, of course, that Trump would actually dump Vance. It would testify to panic in the campaign and underscore the already existing unease about Trump's volatility and judgment…
Still, embarking upon a new quest for a vice president would allow Trump to go on the offensive in shaping the narrative of the race, which he's currently lost control over. Harris, at least for now, has captured the spotlight…
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Give me a break. Your own credibility takes a hit with this piece, in my opinion.
I think that President Trump listened to his son Don, Jr.’s recommendations of Vance. I also think that it was a huge mistake to select Vance, particularly
because he is not well known. He might be a very nice person, but he is also associated with Tucker Carlson, who is being known now as kind of a
weird personality. For myself, my pick would also be a woman. It would have been Tulsi Gabbard. She is a true American, and believes in Trump’s
MAGA’s way of thinking.
Who am I? No one, just an old woman who loves her country and loves Trump as our President.
What’s this crazy “woman” thing? What difference does it make, man or woman?! It should be someone Trump can work with and who would be most
qualified to take over if need be. Quit subscribing to DEI crap!
I doubt Trump will dump Vance. Trump may recall that the last presidential candidate who dumped his VP nominee was Democrat George McGovern in 1972. That didn’t work out so well for McGovern, whose own supporters no longer trusted his willingness to honor his commitments. Result: Nixon beat McGovern in a landslide that year.