Dean Obeidallah is a lawyer, journalist, blogger, and comedian. In this insightful post, he explains why J.D.Vance represents the worst of MAGA. I have included only one of his many links, so open his article if you want to see them all.

He writes:

Convicted felon Donald Trump made it official Monday that his 2024 vice-presidential running mate is Ohio GOP Senator JD Vance.  Before we talk Vance’s alarming record, let’s take a step back to examine how we got here. The reason Trump needed to pick a new running mate was because his former Vice President Mike Pence had rebuffed joining Trump’s attempted coup in 2020. As Pence—who  refused to endorse Trump in this election– stated in 2023, “the American people deserve to know that President Trump” asked him to not just reject votes but “essentially to overturn the election.”

In response to Pence’s refusal, Trump tweeted during the Jan 6 attack at 2:24PM that, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.” From there the crowd surged—as documented during the Jan 6 hearings—and chants of “Hang Mike Pence!” could be loudly heard.  As former White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson testified before the Jan 6 committee, Trump’s chief of staff at the time Mark Meadows said in response to those chants on Jan 6 that Trump “thinks Mike deserves it.”

That is why Trump needed to pick a new VP. His last refused to put Trump over the Constitution –as Pence has said–and in response Trump almost had his supporters kill him.


Trump won’t have that problem with the soulless Vance whose North Star is saying and doing whatever it takes to secure power.  This is the same Vance in 2016 who literally wrote a warning that Trump could be “America’s Hitler,” called Trump “reprehensible” and “a total fraud” for exploiting his supporters  as he declared himself a “Never Trumper.”  Vance even refused to vote for Trump in 2016, instead casting a ballot for third party candidate Even McMullin.  

But that all changed when Vance decided to go into politics and seek the 2022 GOP nomination for Senate in Ohio. Vance scrubbed his documented criticism of Trump and in 2021 apologized for offending the man who had waged a coup attack and incited the Jan 6 terrorist attack just months before. With Trump’s backing, the Yale law school graduate and author of “Hillbilly Elegy” won the GOP Senate nomination and made it to the Senate.


We now have a clear picture of Vance–who is far more dangerous than many are aware. Let’s go through some of the key concerns:

  1. Vance is an election liar who will 100% support Trump’s next coup attempt. Vance—who claimed the 2020 election was “stolen from Trump”–declared in February that if he were in Pence’s place on Jan 6, he would have done exactly what Trump had asked. Vance stated he would’ve allowed the “multiple slates of electors” adding, “and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there.” That means despite no court rulings justifying tossing out votes, Vance would have supported throwing out 81 million votes because Trump asked him to do that.
  2. Vance has despicably downplayed the Jan 6 attack—even as to the threat posed to Mike Pence. In May, Vance ridiculed the idea that Pence was in danger on Jan 6, saying, “I’m truly skeptical that Mike Pence’s life was ever in danger. I think politics and politics people like to really exaggerate things from time to time.”  The reality is the opposite, but Vance needed to show Trump his loyalty.  Vance has also spread lies that the Jan 6 attackers are political prisoners who have been held without being charged and—like Trump–has raised money to help the Jan 6 attackers.  That is akin to raising money for Al Qaeda operatives after 9/11.
  3. Vance has called for the criminal prosecution of a journalist—and his wife—for criticizing Trump: In December, Vance wrote a letter (you can read here) to the DOJ that demanded a criminal investigation into journalist Robert Kagan. What was Kagan alleged crime in Vance’s mind? He had written an op-ed for The Washington Post that warned the United States faces the possibility of a “dictatorship” if Trump is returned to the White House. Vance specifically asked, “Will the Department of Justice open an investigation into Robert Kagan for potential violations of 18 U.S.C. § 241, 18 U.S.C. § 2383, or any other federal criminal statute?” Those are the crimes for conspiracy to incite a rebellion.

Vance also targeted Kagan’s wife writing, “It is my understanding Robert Kagan’s wife, Victoria Nuland, is a senior administration official charged with reviewing our nation’s most sensitive national security information…I am curious to know whether, in the view of the State Department, Victoria Nuland’s close relationship with her husband might compromise her judgment about the best interests of the United States.”


Here, Vance is making it clear he will support Trump’s efforts to target media outlets critical of Trump–and even their families—with criminal prosecutions and other consequences. There is zero doubt Vance would support Trump using the FCC to investigate media outlets not sufficiently supportive.

Vance supports Trump’s pledge to use DOJ to punish his political enemies: Vance has not only lied that Biden has weaponized the DOJ to target Trump, just weeks ago he endorsed Trump’s vow to appoint a special prosecutor to target Trump’s political opponents.  Vance stated on Meet The Press, “I think what Donald Trump is simply saying is we ought to investigate the prior administration,” adding, “All he’s suggesting is that we should investigate credible arguments of wrongdoing.”  

Vance has made it clear that he would join in Trump’s efforts to make himself the king he dreams of becoming. I can predict with great certainty that if Trump wins and seeks a third term in violation of the 22nd Amendment, Vance will 100% be on board.   

Beyond Vance’s commitment to be a co-conspirator in Trump’s authoritarian dreams, there’s also Vance’s far right and bigoted views on a range of issues. He has peddled the racist “Great Replacement Theory” that Democrats want immigrants to “replace” white Americas.  And recently he claimed that DEI programs that foster diversity are actually about “pushing racial hatred,” meaning in his view they are anti-white.

On reproductive rights for women, Vance has referred to abortion as “murder” and campaigned against the Ohio ballot measure to enshrine reproductive freedom in his state.  As a Senate candidate, he rejected exceptions even for rape, saying, “I think two wrongs don’t make a right.”  Vance added, showing his disdain for woman: “It’s not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term; it’s whether a child should be allowed to live even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society.” Actually, it is about women being forced to carry a fetus to term against their will because Vance wants to impose his religious beliefs as law.

On LGBTQ issues, The Advocate’s new article says it all, “J.D. Vance’s horrendous record of homophobia and transphobia.” Vance has opposed marriage equality being codified as law, opposes laws that bar discrimination against the LGBTQ community, and targeted the transgender community. He has even called people supporting LGBTQ rights “groomers,” tweeting in 2022, “I’ll stop calling people ‘groomers’ when they stop freaking out about bills that prevent the sexualization of my children.

The more you read about Vance, his words and record, the more you understand how dangerous he is. JD Vance is one more glaring reason why we must defeat Trump this November!