What the Vance Choice Tells Us About President Trump

When President Trump chose Senator Vance as his vice presidential nominee, it was the result of a months-long process of thinking and evaluating.Trump repeatedly asked people for their advice about a wide range of possible vice presidential choices.Virtually every plausible potential nominee participated in one or more campaign rallies — and got a chance to show his or her capabilities with Trump watching. It was an extended variation of his hit TV show “The Apprentice.” Of course, the key phrase in this version was not “you’re fired.” It was “you’re chosen.”The President had been thinking about Mr. Vance through the entire process. He had been convinced Mr. Vance had the potential to be an important part of the MAGA movement in 2022, when Mr. Vance came to Mar-a-Lago and appealed for an endorsement. Trump endorsed Mr. Vance in the Senate Republican primary, and Mr. Vance won the seat.Despite some of his past positions, Mr. Vance has grown into one of the most articulate defenders of Trumpism — and one of the clearest advocates for an American First position at home and abroad. He proved to be a brilliant debater and interviewer and became stunningly effective in explaining new policies and approaches to the press.While Trump was looking at several older, established, and traditional nominees, he kept coming back to the possibility of a bold choice. Mr. Vance, 39, is the same age Richard Nixon was when President Eisenhower chose him to be the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1952. Furthermore, Nixon and Mr. Vance spent the same amount of time in the Senate before being vice presidential nominees. Nixon also served four years in the House. Mr. Vance had his own previous experience, though. He authored a best-selling autobiographical book, which led to a movie. “Hillbilly Elegy” was the story which made Mr. Vance unique.Looking closer at Mr. Vance’s biography makes him even more impressive. He was born into a poor family in Appalachian Ohio and was largely raised by his grandmother in rural Kentucky. Mr. Vance was unique, determined, and ambitious from the time he graduated from high school. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps and spent six months in Iraq as part of his four-year tour. This experience in the military — and in combat — gave him a deep sense of purpose.When Mr. Vance came home from Iraq, he entered Ohio State University and graduated summa cum laude with a double major in philosophy and political science. He then became an editor of the Yale Law Journal and earned a degree from Yale Law School. Of course, he then went on to write his book.Mr. Vance worked briefly for Senator Cornyn (now a candidate for Senate Republican leader). Then he clerked for a federal judge in Kentucky and later worked for a law firm. However, Mr. Vance found venture capital, investing, and technology more challenging than being a lawyer. His new path was more interesting and more profitable. He moved to California to work with Peter Thiel (the driving force behind PayPal and many other investments). Ultimately, Mr. Vance took his venture capital experience back to Ohio and founded a firm at Cincinnati.I outline Mr. Vance’s pre-political activities to show that he is a unique, intelligent, and hard-working person with a remarkable range of experiences and network of friends and colleagues.Picking Mr. Vance as a running mate gives us real insights into the future Trump wants to develop.Trump has picked an aggressive, proven intellectual. Mr. Vance is deeply philosophical and learns from St. Augustine’s writings. He is patriotic and believes there must be tremendous changes to save Americans from fentanyl, create enough jobs, increase take home pay, and re-establish American strength in the world.Traditionally, presidential nominees pick someone from the other wing of their party to create a mood of unity.Trump has gone in the opposite direction. He wanted an active, aggressive advocate of MAGA. He wanted someone who was young enough to potentially be the future of the movement, the party, and the government. Clearly, Trump was also convinced that Mr. Vance was willing to be a junior partner learning from the master. Watching the two of them talking at the convention the last few nights, it is clear who is the professor and who is the student. Again, the Eisenhower-Nixon team comes to mind. With the choice of Mr. Vance, the die is cast. I, for one, am now looking forward to the vice presidential debate.

What the Vance Choice Tells Us About President Trump

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