Bolling: Was J.D. Vance the Best Choice for Trump?
Yesterday, Donald Trump announced the selection of Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) to be his vice presidential running mate.
Today, the question is: Did Trump make the right choice?
On the positive side, Vance is a true disciple of MAGA, even though he described himself as a “never Trumper” back in 2016, and had some not so kind things to say about Trump, which Democrats have already seized on.
Likewise, Vance is reportedly smart and articulate, and the Trump team believes he can help them reach out to the blue collar voters they need to win key swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc.
On the other hand, Vance is young and inexperienced. He is only 39 years old, and he has served in the U.S. Senate for less than two years. He has accomplished very little from a public policy perspective.
In 2020, Republicans criticized Joe Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate. They said Harris didn’t have the experience to be Vice President. They were right, but Harris had more experience in elected office than Vance has.
So, was Trump’s choice of Vance a good choice or not?
From a political perspective, I don’t think Vance will necessarily hurt or help Trump in the election, but the real question is this: Is Vance prepared to be president should the need arise? It is that question that troubles me the most.
The bottom line is this. There were better choices available for Trump, and more importantly, for the country. But Trump has his man, and Republicans have their ticket. We will see how it all plays out between now and Election Day.
