There is a phenomenon in Christian circles commonly known as being born again. It means an unbelieving or agnostic person is mysteriously, and often suddenly, imbued with a powerful faith. The words of scripture, once meaningless or threatening, spring to life. It is a truism among the faithful that such born-again believers often possess a faith even deeper than those who grew up in the church, for they have been on both sides of life and witnessed the light emerge from the darkness. Analogizing that transformation to a political context, what are we to make of Donald Trump selecting as his running mate JD Vance, a man who once not just opposed him, but in the grip of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) hurled vicious insults that rivaled the left when Trump first emerged on the political stage?
The bombastic billionaire who has famously punched down at any public figure who dared attack him has hand-picked as his lieutenant a man who expressed on various occasions in 2016 and 2017 that Trump was a “moral disaster,” a “total fraud,” “reprehensible,” “cultural heroin,” and “just another opioid” for middle America. He wrote to a friend at the time, “I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical as----le like Nixon … or that he’s America’s Hitler.”
That same man is now Trump’s running mate. And much like the agnostic or atheist suddenly drawn to faith, like St. Paul blinded on the road to Damascus, JD Vance has become perhaps the chief apostle of Trump’s America First agenda. Confessing to his vitriolic remarks about Trump years ago, saying he swallowed whole the media’s vile depiction of him, Vance declares that he was transformed by Trump’s performance as president.
Cynics on both sides might be prone to calling Vance an opportunist who changed his view by 180 degrees to attract Trump’s endorsement for his Senate run in 2022. They will say that he saw an opening to draw close to Trump’s circle of trust and then onto the short list of VP hopefuls more for power than MAGA. But you can be certain that Trump would not have selected anyone prone to break with him and leave the America First reservation.
Why Vance Won the Veepstakes
There were others on the VP shortlist who were undoubtedly attractive but had established their own political brands and footprints. Sens. Marco Rubio and Tim Scott might have helped Trump capitalize on his growing traction among minority voters and consolidated the Nikki Haley wing of the party. Gov. Glenn Youngkin might have helped him win the blue state of Virginia. But in the end, with the wind at his back in a race he is winning, Trump chose someone he believes is all in on his agenda and will help implement, defend, and preserve it when Trump departs the White House in 2029.
There is also the element of Vance’s fame achieved outside the political arena -- a story complementing Trump’s rise in the Manhattan real estate industry and national TV. Exactly how many vice presidential or even presidential candidates have written a best-selling book and produced an Oscar-winning movie about their life? Hillbilly Elegy entered the American bloodstream years ago to great fanfare, and those who have read the book or watched the movie can hardly help being overwhelmed by the odds Vance has managed to overcome. He survived a miserable early life marked by a father who abandoned his family and a drug-addicted mother who sent Vance to live with his Mamaw. His grandmother had to beg Meals on Wheels for extra food to nourish herself and young JD. It is a story you could not make up.
The Trump Criteria
The selection of Vance shows that Trump is looking more to the future than the present, more to enacting his agenda than making an electoral play for one state or another, and more to consolidating his message than balancing it off with a contrasting voice from within the party. How his brush with death will influence his outlook is anyone’s guess, but Trump undoubtedly appeared different when he emerged in public for the first time since the assassination attempt at the Republican National Convention on July 15 -- emotional, solemn, and with the appearance of a man who had seen his life pass before him and now has a fresh appreciation of it.
Let’s not forget another factor that likely weighed on Trump’s selection of Vance: young voters. After favoring Joe Biden overwhelmingly in 2020, America’s youth have soured on the incumbent, and support for the two candidates among voters under 30 is now almost evenly split. As the first national candidate from the millennial generation, the energetic 39-year-old Vance provides a striking contrast to the enfeebled 81-year-old Biden, which is likely to accrue to Trump’s benefit.
Since Trump and Biden agreed on three debates, two presidential and one vice presidential, Vance will face off with Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s VP nominee is well known for his success in advancing reasoned arguments in hostile environments. In fact, he is said to enjoy such encounters with the left, an asset that will serve him well in the weeks and months ahead.
The Left Will Hate Vance as Much as Trump
Trump’s enemies are driven by a special level of hatred for Vance because, as a best-selling author with a rags-to-riches story and award-winning movie, he was embraced by the Hollywood elite -- as long as he continued to speak out against Trump. But now, of course, the left is replaying his years-old comments as though they remain relevant, much like a pagan would try to discount the transformation of a born-again believer because of what he professed before he came to faith.
Good luck selling that to everyday Americans desperate for a change of tone after the leading candidate for president missed having his brain blown out by an inch. Trashing this man, Vance, raised amid blinding poverty, despair, and addiction in America’s heartland, this Marine who served in two theaters of war, this successful businessman and US senator, is little more than another fool’s errand. But then Democrats thought lawfare and Bidenomics would succeed. Nevertheless, left-wingers will undoubtedly keep up the drumbeat on Vance as they have on Trump -- because they have little else to offer voters beyond their promise to fight for abortion on demand. Americans love a story that is quintessentially American. Rising from the ashes like the proverbial phoenix, achieving things he never should have in places he did not belong, JD Vance is likely to inspire as much hope on the right as he does dread on the left.
