Trump’s Pick of JD Vance, A Pro-Russia Extremist, Was A Huge Mistake
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JUL 16, 2024
Happy Tuesday all. Got a few things for you today:
Vance, The Extremist – Last night I sent a “quick take” on JD Vance to our paid subscribers. I encourage everyone to head there to get my initial take on the Vance pick and what it means for us. It includes videos of Vance that need to be seen to be believed. The bottom line:
Tonight’s quick take is on JD Vance. I am not surprised Trump picked Vance. Of all the finalists he is most like Trump. This wasn’t a “balance” pick, or an olive branch to non-MAGA Republicans and independents, or an attempt to lower the temperature – it was an in-your-face-MAGA, project 2025-backing, Putin-loving pick.
Vance comes out of the pro-Putin, pro-oligarch, Handmaid’s Tale wing of the GOP. He was the most extreme candidate on the VP short list. The pick was a confirmation of the extraordinary threat Trump is to our democracy, our rights and freedoms, our way of life and the American-led global system that has kept us free, safe and prosperous for generations. While the Biden campaign has paused their battleground ads for a few days, here’s a reminder of what was running in the battleground on Saturday – Putin’s “Lap Dog.” Please watch this ad. It is very good and even more relevant after Vance’s pick.
NBC News has a story this morning which can only be read as the Trump campaign staff already trashing the Vance choice and blaming it on Trump’s sons:
MILWAUKEE — With the clock ticking to the Republican National Convention last week, Donald Trump met privately to discuss his running mate search with two of his closest advisers: his sons.
The conversation quickly turned tense when the former president indicated that he was leaning toward Doug Burgum, until recently the largely unknown governor of North Dakota — but someone whose low-maintenance, no-drama personality would never threaten to outshine Trump.
That’s when Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump chimed in.
“Don Jr. and Eric went bats— crazy: ‘Why would you do something so stupid? He offers us nothing,’” a longtime Republican operative familiar with the discussion told NBC News.
“They were basically all like ‘JD, JD, JD,’” the operative said.
Trump ratified his sons’ recommendation here Monday, selecting Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his vice presidential candidate. Trump called Vance with the news 20 minutes before announcing it on social media, a source familiar with the call said.
In choosing Vance, Trump made a different calculation than he did in 2016 and leaned fully into his MAGA base. Back then, he looked to his daughter and her husband — the more establishment-friendly Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner — for strategic advice. This time, his red meat-throwing sons have a more central role. And instead of going with a longtime traditional Republican like Mike Pence, Trump chose the MAGA warrior Vance.
The pick of “MAGA warrior Vance” is a confirmation of the ugliness and threat of MAGA. In my view this was a serious political mistake and missed opportunity for Trump, and makes it more likely we can win this election. Work hard this week to educate your networks on what Vance means for the GOP ticket and all of us. Back to work all…….
(snip, but don’t stop now, there is more Hopium on the page!)
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