President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t talked much about how his second administration will operate — thinking it was bad luck to do so before Election Day — but Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, an Ohio senator and Middletown native, seems likely to to have done. at least two reels locked.
Cheerleader and communicator.
“He’s a feisty guy, isn’t he?” Trump said of his 40-year-old running mate during his victory speech early Wednesday in Palm Beach, Florida.
After clinching the vice presidential nomination, Vance happily played the role of Trump’s attack dog as he stormed the 2024 swing states. He maintained a hostile presence on social media, calling Vice President Kamala Harris “trash” — a nod to President Joe Biden’s “trash” blunder. The freshman senator from Ohio, who lives in Cincinnati, also gave more media interviews than anyone at the top — 152, according to his campaign — and made news conferences part of the show at his rallies.
Trump regularly praised Vance for his aggressive jousting with interviewers and indicated he wants to see more of it in the future. Referring to the news media as “the enemy camp,” Trump said Wednesday that Vance is “the only guy I’ve ever seen” who is “really looking forward to it.” And then he just goes and absolutely destroys them.”
Vance was called to the microphone by Trump and indicated he is willing to take on the role of chief counsel — a stark contrast to the man Trump once called “harmful” and suggested he could be “America’s Hitler.”
“After the greatest political comeback in American history, we are going to lead the greatest economic comeback in American history under the leadership of Donald Trump,” Vance said.
What kind of vice president will JD Vance be?
A good relationship with Trump can quickly deteriorate. Just ask former Vice President Mike Pence.
Pence was one of Trump’s biggest cheerleaders during his first term in the White House, and yet Trump turned on him for refusing to help him overturn the 2020 election. Trump was nonchalant when protesters threatened to kill Pence during the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
Trump acknowledged his frustration with Vance’s early stumbles — noting Wednesday that he “got a little angry at first” — but aides said he came to appreciate what Vance brought to the campaign. The turning point, they said: Vance’s debate with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
“He turned out to be a good choice,” Trump said.
Vance said little during the campaign about what kind of vice president he expects to be. He told NBC News he wanted to influence border policy and encourage conversations about drug abuse, something his mother struggled with until a decade ago. Ahead of Tuesday’s election, Vance told the New York Times that he and Trump were too superstitious to talk much about his role in the White House.
But whatever the mission, Vance said he expects to be an active second-in-command.
“I know the president wants me to be involved in everything, and I certainly hope so,” he told USA TODAY in September. “The president is the leader of the party. If he wins, he is the leader of the country, and my job is to make him as successful as possible.”
Tuesday’s election results may also have made Vance the de facto front-runner for the 2028 Republican nomination, as Trump is set to serve a second and final term. During his campaign, Trump sometimes talked about what it would be like if another politician led his movement. On at least one occasion he mentioned “JD” as a possible successor.
Vance’s campaign declined to comment on his role in the new Trump administration.
Trump’s ‘amplifier and defender’
Vice presidential scholar Joel Goldstein, a law professor emeritus at St. Louis University, said he suspects Trump “will largely view Vance as an amplifier and defender.” He said it remains to be seen how much influence Vance will actually have.
“Trump has indicated in several ways that he does not place a high value on the assets that the vice presidency can bring to Democratic governance,” Goldstein said. “Vance’s limited experience in government — he will take office with fewer administrations even than Spiro Agnew — will limit what he can offer Trump.”
Vance was first elected to the U.S. Senate two years ago.
But University of Dayton political science professor Christopher Devine said Vance could be a more influential vice president than Pence, who took on a number of high-profile tasks but ultimately had no influence over Trump. Devine said Vance’s ability to talk his way into the inner MAGA orbit — in part because of his friendship with Donald Trump Jr. — could better position him to bend Trump’s ear on certain issues.
Take Springfield, Ohio, for example: Vance raised concerns about an influx of Haitian migrants and amplified unsubstantiated claims on social media about immigrants eating people’s pets. Then Trump seized on the controversy during his first and only debate with Harris.
“JD Vance discovered long ago that the way to Donald Trump’s heart was to be a fighter and at least match Donald Trump’s rhetoric,” Devine said. “If it doesn’t go any further.”
David Jackson reported from Palm Beach, Florida. Haley BeMiller reported from Columbus, Ohio.
This article originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance could add ‘feisty’ personality to VP role
