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PODCAST

GOPers Finally Admit It: J.D. Vance’s Weirdness Is a Fiasco for Trump

As Republicans begin loudly second-guessing Vance, a veteran reporter explains how Trump’s new running mate has managed to turn the GOP ticket’s sheer weirdness into a huge campaign issue.

J.D. Vance grins
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Senator J.D. Vance in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on July 28

According to a new report, many allies of Donald Trump and other Republicans are now sharply second-guessing his choice of J.D. Vance as running mateand Vance’s bizarre public moments are driving the panic. Will Vance enable Democrats to make a strong case against MAGA-style culture-warring—one built on demonstrating just how deranged and off-putting to most Americans it has truly become? We chatted with veteran reporter Jill Lawrence, who has a new piece for The Bulwark on Vance’s terrible rollout, about how the sheer, unchecked weirdness of the Trump-Vance ticket has suddenly become a big campaign issueand how Democrats can exploit it. Listen to this episode here.