Who Says Donald Trump Was a “Failed” President? JD Vance.
The Republican vice presidential candidate argued as recently as 2020 that Trump “thoroughly failed to deliver on his economic populism.”
JD Vance speaks to a crowd during a rally at the Berks County Fairgrounds on September 21, 2024, in Leesport, Pennsylvania.
(Matthew Hatcher / Getty Images)When Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance take the stage for Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate, Vance can be counted on to sing the praises of his running mate, former president Donald Trump.
That’s what vice presidential candidates do.
Unfortunately for Trump—and Vance—the Ohio senator’s praise for the former president will have a hollow ring to it.
On the signature economic issues that both Republicans claim to hold dear, the GOP’s vice presidential nominee is now on record as having given his boss a grade of “F.”
“Trump has just so thoroughly failed to deliver on his economic populism (excepting a disjointed China policy),” Vance wrote in a direct message to an acquaintance in February of 2020, when then-President Trump was finishing his term in the White House.
Trump was elected in 2016 on a vow to make the American economy work for working families. But his presidency was the antithesis of what he promised as a candidate. Trump instead turned his energies toward serving the billionaire class. He supported massive tax cuts for the rich, filled top positions with corporate insiders and Wall Street flunkies, refused to back efforts to organize workers, and neglected efforts to keep factories in struggling communities open. As United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain says, “The bottom line is this, Donald Trump doesn’t care about working-class people, and he showed it when he was president.”
Republicans have tried to push back against such criticism. But, now, a cache of previously unreported direct messages from Vance—which the recipient of the messages turned over to The Washington Post—reveals that the Democrats, union leaders, and economists weren’t alone in ripping Trump’s record.
Vance, a millionaire venture capitalist who wrote a cynical book about his Appalachian roots, has, like Trump, long tried to present himself as a champion of working-class Americans. Once a stark critic of Trump who suggested that the billionaire real estate developer was a “reprehensible” human being who might be “America’s Hitler,” Vance changed his tune as he began to pursue a career in Republican politics.
The suddenly enthusiastic Republican claimed to have adjusted his viewpoint after being impressed by Trump’s presidency. “I’ve been very open that I did say those critical things and I regret them, and I regret being wrong about the guy,” Vance signaled in 2021, as he was bidding for the Ohio US Senate seat that he eventually won in 2022 with Trump’s backing. “I think he was a good president, I think he made a lot of good decisions for people, and I think he took a lot of flak.”
Now, we learn that, in private, Vance remained a critic for nearly all of Trump’s presidency.
The Trump-Vance campaign now claims that the conflicting statements from the vice-presidential nominee are being misinterpreted. But it is hard to misread the senator from Ohio’s blunt assertion that Trump “thoroughly failed to deliver on his economic populism.”
The truth, as revealed by his own words, is that Vance was not nearly so impressed with Trump’s economic record as he claimed to be when he was trying to win the former president’s favor — a pursuit that would eventually be rewarded with a place on the Republican Party’s 2024 ticket. Indeed, the direct messages that the Post obtained reveal that Vance apparently rejected a chance to join the Trump administration.
“I’ve already turned down my appointment from the emperor,” wrote Vance, who referred to the former president as “Emperor Trump.”
Now, of course, Vance claims that Trump was a great emperor, er, president.
And, of course, Vance is lying.
Popular
“swipe left below to view more authors”Swipe →Can we count on you?
In the coming election, the fate of our democracy and fundamental civil rights are on the ballot. The conservative architects of Project 2025 are scheming to institutionalize Donald Trump’s authoritarian vision across all levels of government if he should win.
We’ve already seen events that fill us with both dread and cautious optimism—throughout it all, The Nation has been a bulwark against misinformation and an advocate for bold, principled perspectives. Our dedicated writers have sat down with Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders for interviews, unpacked the shallow right-wing populist appeals of J.D. Vance, and debated the pathway for a Democratic victory in November.
Stories like these and the one you just read are vital at this critical juncture in our country’s history. Now more than ever, we need clear-eyed and deeply reported independent journalism to make sense of the headlines and sort fact from fiction. Donate today and join our 160-year legacy of speaking truth to power and uplifting the voices of grassroots advocates.
Throughout 2024 and what is likely the defining election of our lifetimes, we need your support to continue publishing the insightful journalism you rely on.
Thank you,
The Editors of The Nation
More from The Nation
Jimmy Carter, at 100, Is Best Honored by Listening to His Advice About the Middle East Jimmy Carter, at 100, Is Best Honored by Listening to His Advice About the Middle East
In interviews with The Nation over the years, the former president outlined an approach to foreign policy that respects Palestinian rights and charts a course toward peace.
Extremist, Hypocritical, Weird: JD Vance Offers a Whole Array of Targets for Tim Walz Extremist, Hypocritical, Weird: JD Vance Offers a Whole Array of Targets for Tim Walz
With so many things to pounce on during the vice-presidential debate, where does Walz even begin?
JD Vance Is Working Hard to Be Hated JD Vance Is Working Hard to Be Hated
For the Republican candidate, riling up the right-wing base outweighs alienating everyone else.
The #Resistance Is Back. Be Afraid. The #Resistance Is Back. Be Afraid.
Democratic partisans are cheering for cops and war criminals, tweeting nonsense, and trying to crush dissent. How are we back here?
Kamala Harris Kamala Harris
“We must protect the freedom that unlocks all other freedoms: our sacred right to vote.”
The Redistricting Proposal That Could Transform Ohio Politics The Redistricting Proposal That Could Transform Ohio Politics
Ohio is considered one of the most gerrymandered states in the country, but Issue 1 could be the way to fix it.
