A few days ago, Trump declared that the choice of vice president has no real impact on elections. He was, of course, questioned for this statement, especially considering his controversial running mate. In reality, this is almost always true (although Sarah Palin, for instance, the only vice-presidential candidate who supported him, ultimately cost McCain two points).
JD Vance has had a complicated and often contradictory public persona. From his successful memoir "Hillbilly Elegy" to his current political role and statements, he has crossed into murky waters and gotten dirty. The real "Hillbillies" of Appalachia hated his book because it blamed them for their poverty and backwardness.
He ran for senator from Ohio and won by the slimmest margin, thanks to the support of the man he claimed to hate—Trump (he called him the "American Hitler" or the opium of the people, for example).
In recent days, Vance has become a target of ridicule due to passages in his memoir and his failure to delete his old blog and public Venmo account. He is the first millennial candidate and has an impressive and embarrassing digital footprint.
"Hillbilly Elegy" offers a supposed portrayal of Vance's upbringing in a poor, working-class family in Ohio, focusing on the challenges and resilience of Appalachian culture. The book is often interpreted as a critique of cultural and economic decline in Rust Belt communities.
However, Vance's political rhetoric, especially since aligning with Trump, has taken a turn towards populism. He now frequently blames elites and liberals for the plight of working-class Americans, a simplification that contrasts with the complexity of the issues he explored in his book. It is the Silicon Valley elites and Peter Thiel who have catapulted him.
Vance has made derogatory comments about single women, suggesting they are a social problem. This rhetoric is not only misogynistic but also ignores the diversity of modern family structures. Additionally, Vance criticizes Democrats who, according to him, don't value traditional family structures.
This criticism is ironic given his own tumultuous family history described in his memoirs, where stability and traditional family values were often absent. He has suggested that single people and childless families should pay more taxes and has said that many childless women are sociopaths. The "Cat Ladies" are now a group supporting Harris.
Vance's admission in his book of personal behaviors, such as the infamous anecdote about masturbating on a couch, has been used to mock his supposed moral superiority. These details of his past starkly contrast with his current stance on public morality and family values.
Harris has chosen Tim Walz as her running mate, which further highlights Vance's hypocrisy and chameleon-like shifts, fueling ridicule and skepticism about his authenticity.
His provocative and sometimes absurd statements about single women and Democrats who lack "family values" make him an easy target for satire. These comments are often seen as tone-deaf and disconnected from the complexities of modern life. Humorous or embarrassing excerpts from his memoirs, such as the masturbation anecdote, are frequently used to undermine his credibility and seriousness as a political figure.
Becoming more of a subject than a follower of Trump, despite his previous criticisms of Trump and his policies, complicates his image further. This shift in stance has forever damaged his credibility (even his wife had to go on television to explain his blunders).
Not even his past as a Marine or his career at Yale is talked about (he also seems to have lied about being president of a veterans' law student association, aligning him with another cynic, George Santos). In short, he’s a shady, unscrupulous ambitious figure who might secretly hope that Trump doesn’t finish his term, so he could, surreptitiously, as everything else in his life, become President of the United States.
BY PEDRO ÁNGEL PALOU
CONTRIBUTOR
@PEDROPALOU