We all knew Donald Trump would be running as the Republican Party’s nominee for presidency, but the question loomed, who will be his running mate? There was no clear candidate as to who Trump would pick as his Vice President as the split between MAGA and establishment Republicans continues to grow as seen by his former VP Mike Pence denouncing Trump since the January 6th fiasco. 

During the Republican National Convention on July 15, Trump made his decision and he chose Ohio Senator James David (JD) Vance as his presidential running mate. The decision to have Vance join the Trump ticket came as a surprise to both Democrats and Republicans, as many felt there were more high-profile candidates to choose from, and Vance had a history of being openly critical of Trump. In 2016, Vance openly expressed his disdain for the future president. Before Trump’s election, he wondered if Trump was “America’s Hitler” in a text to a former roommate and mentioned he couldn’t “stomach Trump” during an NPR interview. In 2017, Vance described Trump as a “moral disaster.” 

While the choice for Vice President may have caught some off guard, Vance is no different than any other imperialist politician, even if his rhetoric seems to appeal to the anti-war crowd. 

A Capitalist “Hillbilly”

During Trump’s first presidential campaign, the potential Vice President of the United States was just entering the political arena. In 2016 Vance wrote his first book, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis”, which earned him the title of “Voice of the Rust Belt” by the Washington Post. Other than rambling about his mother's sexual escapades, Hillbilly Elegy actually does reflect the plight of many Americans in the Rust Belt and Appalachian region. Vance addresses the impacts of deindustrialization and shipping manufacturing overseas, but the valuable critiques end there. There are no calls to end the financialization of the economy or to reindustrialize the Rust Belt, instead, he simply says that this is the reason people are leaving the Democratic Party, as if the Republicans have proven to uplift communities. 

Add Vance to the long list of politicians who try to push the image of a “working class” person turned politician who claims to have never forgot where they came from. In reality, Vance’s upbringing means little when you add in his past as a Yale law school graduate and former venture capitalist for Peter Thiel. Thiel almost single-handedly vaulted Vance to political prominence by providing $10 million to his senate campaign in 2021. The financial backing helped Vance secure the November 2022 Ohio senatorial race, beating Democrat candidate Tim Ryan. 

In his short time as an Ohio senator, Vance did little to nothing to live up to his portrayed image as a fighter for the Rust Belt region. He was criticized for taking too long to respond to the train derailment that caused a biohazard in his own state, not making an appearance until well after a week had passed. A month after the disaster, Vance began using using the train derailment as a way to boost his own image and criticize Joe Biden. Vance and other Democrats came together to propose a new bill that would increase emergency response times in case of another disaster, ironic given how long it took him to respond. The action by Vance is what makes him another typical politician in the capitalist system, do not call for better infrastructure or improved trains, just make the ambulances get there a little faster next disaster strikes. 

Don't be Fooled by Another “Working Class” Politician

The MAGA sect of the Republicans has set positioned themselves in a unique position among mainstream U.S. politics. Trump is the only President to visit Kim Jong Un and does not appear to seek war with China and Russia. This, however, does not make any Republican an anti-imperialist either. Trump did instigate conflicts with Iran with the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, bringing us dangerously close to a conflict with Iran. 

Trump’s relationship with Russia has been criticized since he first ran for president, who could forget Russiagate? Vance appears to be grounding himself in the same position as he has also been critical of endless funds and military equipment going to Ukraine. In a statement titled “Europe must stand on its own two feet on defense,” Vance stated, “There is frankly no good reason that aid from the U.S. should be needed (in Ukraine).” 

Like the rest of the MAGA Republicans, they claim they are “America First”, until the issue of Israel arises, showing their true colors as just another warmonger. It is apparent that the United States uses Israel as a base of operations in the Middle East, but Vance attempts to mask it in his fervent religiosity. 

During a speech delivered at the Quincy Institute in May “A majority of citizens of this country think that their savior, and I count myself a Christian, was born, died, and resurrected in that narrow little strip of territory off the Mediterranean. The idea that there is ever going to be an American foreign policy that doesn’t care a lot about that slice of the world is preposterous.”

During the series of encampments and sit-ins across college campuses to demand divestment from Israel, he even went as far as to propose that colleges that fail to remove them will lose federal funding. America first, with an Israeli exception, free speech is allowed as long as you do not criticize the genocide of Palestinians. 

It has been two weeks since JD Vance was announced to be Trump’s running mate. So far he’s had some rather unpleasant rumors spread about him, and had former roommates claim Vance is, “someone who can change their positions and their values depending on what will amass their political power and wealth.” 

This does not seem that far-fetched considering how he was once an ardent Trump critic and now full MAGA Republican. This becomes even more believable when you find out JD Vance is actually the third name he has gone by, but we will let you learn more about that yourself. 

The main thing to keep in mind is never to believe the “working class” politician who “grew up poor.” In the end, they all either attended a CIA-infiltrated university, are backed by billionaires, or have a sexual attraction to living room furniture. In Vance’s case, he checks all three boxes.