This week we learned that Donald Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, repeatedly suggested in 2016 that he believed Trump committed sexual assault. Vance has since softened his views, but this saga captures the essential Vance: He knows exactly what he has now attached himself to, but sees Trump as a vehicle to accomplish some truly radical societal transformations. We talked to tech writer Gil Duran, author of a good piece in The New Republic tracing the “techno-authoritarian” worldview driving Vance, about what his evolution from clear-eyed Trump critic to full MAGA devotee says about today’s red-pilled right—and about our politics more broadly. Listen to this episode here.
PODCAST
J.D. Vance’s Shocker Quote on Trump and Sexual Assault Unmasks MAGA
As old Vance criticism of Trump surfaces, a leading tech writer explains how Vance evolved from a clear-eyed Trump critic to a MAGA disciple in thrall to a radical techno-authoritarian vision.
![J.D. Vance smiling](http://images.newrepublic.com/8ffe32ba6d1357fd05cc966cebc0c4b4136e1d9a.jpeg?auto=format&fit=crop&crop=faces&q=65&w=1000&h=undefined&ar=3%3A2&ixlib=react-9.0.2&w=1000)
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Senator J.D. Vance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, on July 15