Everyone in reality-based America agrees: Sen. JD Vance of Ohio is not well-liked. His national rollout after being picked as Donald Trump's running mate is likely the worst in modern history. Vance is deeply plugged into the fascism-curious world of the extremely online right. There's been a drumbeat of stories of him endorsing views like hunger is a "great motivation" to work, the "whole purpose of the postmenopausal female" is to provide free childcare, and that progressives are "unhumans" who deserve fascist violence. The seemingly endless number of clips of him condemning childless women as "sociopaths" and "miserable cat ladies" have drawn the most attention, likely because it's tied to the larger GOP agenda of forcing childbirth through abortion bans.
This all seems self-evident, but sure, up for debate on the grounds of subjectivity. But the polls are clear. At the start of his vice presidential run, when most Americans couldn't pick him out of a line-up, Vance's unfavorable rating was relatively low. Now that voters are getting to know him, they dislike him, leading to him being underwater in favorability by 12 percentage points. In contrast, Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, is up 11 points in favorability. Vance is even more unpopular than Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor whose 2008 vice presidential run helped sink the campaign of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Yet, if you listen to people in the MAGA Republican world, you'd think Vance is a superstar. Despite early speculation that Trump would "regret" picking Vance, the New York Times reports that "Trump could not be happier" and "has privately praised Mr. Vance by comparing himself to Vince Lombardi, telling people that his eye for political talent was now on par with the Hall of Fame football coach." In the same article, Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, who oversees Republican Senate campaigns, says Vance has "really been very impressive.
Rich Lowry of the National Review agreed on CNN. "He has proven tireless, fearless, really effective spokesman for this ticket," Lowry declared on Saturday with a straight face. "As far as I can tell, [Vance] has not had one misstep." While admitting Vance has low poll numbers, Laura Ingraham of Fox News expressed confusion as to why on Tuesday. "I’ve known you for a long time," she told Vance, who was her guest. "You’re really fun. You’re really funny."
In reality, as Sam Adams at Slate described in an article titled, "Why Can’t J.D. Vance Tell a Joke?" Vance has to explain to people that his "jokes" are attempts at humor:
“Democrats say that it is racist to believe—well, they say it’s racist to do anything,” Vance begins. “I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today. I’m sure they’re gonna call that racist too.” On the dais behind him, a few supporters in MAGA hats chuckle softly to themselves, but you can tell that Vance’s jab hasn’t gone over the way he thought it would. “It’s good!” he insists, augmenting a mild trickle of amusement with his own hoarse guffaw. He shakes his head and points out at the audience. “I love you guys.”
As Adams notes, Vance's attempts at humor "aren’t jokes at all." Instead, "it’s humor of the 'Stop hitting yourself' variety, the work of a bully masquerading as a class clown." He points to another incident where a reporter asked Vance, "What makes you smile?" Barely concealing a snarl, Vance says what makes him "smile" is "bogus questions from the media, man."
So why are all these Republicans claiming to see charm and wit in a man who most people read as glowering and humorless? It could be gaslighting, of course. It's a favorite authoritarian tactic of Trump himself, to insist the up is down and black is white and you're the crazy one for not seeing it. But the evidence suggests that the Trump campaign really does believe they have a good thing with JD Vance. As Axios reported Tuesday, Vance is being shoved in front of every microphone and camera they see. "Vance has done 94 interviews, press conferences and gaggles with the media," Mike Allen writes, pointing out Vance gives interviews to mainstream media outlets Trump avoids. As I argued last month, Republicans are acting like Vance is the candidate, especially as Trump can barely be coaxed into leaving his house.
The darker possibility is Republicans actually like Vance. His personality traits that alienate average Americans — his contempt, his pomposity, his unvarnished misogyny — are attractive in the upside-down world of MAGA. These are the same folks who listen to an elderly man in orange makeup whine for hours and somehow read that as "virility" and "strength." Petulance is an admirable quality in the MAGA universe. Behaving like a jerk is aspirational. They don't seem to get that bullies are usually overcompensating. People like Vance always punch down and kiss up, which is why he's always fawning over Trump, a man he once privately compared to Hitler. This is weak and spineless behavior, but because it's cruel, it reads as "mighty" in the sadistic alternative universe of MAGA.
This illustrates an assumption that has motivated the MAGA movement since the day Trump started his endless presidential campaign in 2015: That everyone else secretly shares their ugly worldview, and are merely pretending to be better than that. That's why conservatives cry "virtue-signaling" when progressives say things like "racism is bad" or "misogyny is gross." The underlying argument is that everyone shares their racist and sexist beliefs, but progressives are just faking better angels to attract praise and attention. It's why Republicans keep insisting Trump is "honest" even though he literally lies more than any politician alive (or probably dead). What they mean is "he'll say the vile stuff most people are afraid to say." Trump fans don't often consider the possibility that many people sincerely disagree with bigotry.
In light of this, it makes sense that Republicans are befuddled about why Vance rubs people the wrong way. When he's griping about "cat ladies" or sneering at journalists for asking basic questions, that reads, to MAGA, as a "brave truthteller sticking it to the liberals." To everyone else, however, he seems to be so weighed down with resentment it's turned him misanthropic and, well, weird. It's why the refrain from so many political commentators is, that Vance should seek "therapy," not higher office. Or why, despite approximately no one believing the story, the meme about Vance making sweet love to a sofa keeps circulating. Democrats need a shorthand for what's "off" about the guy. Couch jokes will do it.
