Vance Embraces Role of Loyal Trump Warrior, Shifting Away From Past Stances
But that was all before he became President Trump's vice president.
In his first six months in the role, Mr. Vance has emerged as a warrior for Mr. Trump, vigorously promoting and defending the president while twisting away from his past stances on a range of topics.
It's the latest sign of how Mr. Vance, who assailed Mr. Trump in 2016 and once called himself a 'Never Trump guy,' has transformed himself into a fiercely loyal ally — even when it puts him at odds with the political movement in which he is seeking to build his own following.
On Monday, speaking in front of steel plant workers in Canton, Ohio, Mr. Vance defended the administration's decision not to release files related to the case of Mr. Epstein, a move that has provoked sharp blowback among right-wing influencers and lawmakers.
'We're not shielding anything,' Mr. Vance said, echoing Mr. Trump's claims that previous presidents did not do enough to shed light on the case. 'Donald J. Trump, I'm telling you, he's got nothing to hide. His administration has got nothing to hide. And that's why he's been an advocate for full transparency in this case.'
The stakes are high for Mr. Vance as he seeks simultaneously to demonstrate his allegiance to the president and to position himself as his natural successor. So far, Mr. Trump has repeatedly declined to endorse his vice president — or anyone else, for that matter — as worthy of inheriting his political movement.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NFL kicks off preseason with moment of silence after shooting that killed 4 people in New York
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The NFL season kicked off at the annual Hall of Fame game Thursday night with a moment of silence for the four people killed earlier this week by a shooter who was targeting league headquarters in New York. The gunman also wounded a league employee in the shooting Monday night. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told NBC he visited the employee for an hour on Wednesday and said he was improving. There was increased security around Tom Benson Stadium, where Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates and Sterling Sharpe will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. 'That's real life and it's unfortunate that we live in a space right now that's a possibility and it's becoming a situation where if you're a parent, that's the first thing you think about is workplace safety for your child or for your loved ones,' Eric Allen told The Associated Press. 'And for it to specifically be the National Football League, the opening week is tonight, Hall of Fame is Saturday, and the game has made so many great strides, but it's just an example of there's still work to be done.' The league held a virtual town hall Wednesday, giving employees an opportunity to connect and share resources. Goodell told employees on Tuesday they could work remotely at least through the end of next week because league offices would be closed. Investigators believe Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, was trying to get to the NFL offices after shooting several people in the building's lobby, then another in a 33rd-floor office on Monday, before he killed himself, authorities said. Police said Tamura had a history of mental illness, and a rambling note found on his body suggested that he had a grievance against the NFL over a claim that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease that can be diagnosed only by examining the brain after a person dies. Tamura played high school football in California a decade ago but never in the NFL. ___ AP NFL: Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Taco Thursday': Social media users taunt Trump after he extends Mexico trade deadline
Donald Trump's pausing of higher import taxes on a wide range of Mexican products a day before they were set to start saw the president mocked on social media with the now-familiar 'TACO' taunt. The nickname TACO, short for 'Trump Always Chickens Out,' stems from the president's habit of making tariff threats, resulting in a drop in the markets, only for him to change course and see the markets rebound. Trump announced the move in a Truth Social post following a phone call with Mexican President Gloria Sheinbaum on Thursday. He said the conversation had been 'very successful in that, more and more, we are getting to know and understand each other' and suggested that the American trade relationship with Mexico is different from other countries because of the complexity of the border situation. 'We have agreed to extend, for a 90 Day period, the exact same Deal as we had for the last short period of time, namely, that Mexico will continue to pay a 25% Fentanyl Tariff, 25% Tariff on Cars, and 50% Tariff on Steel, Aluminum, and Copper,' he added. The reaction from some of Trump's most fervent critics was swift, predictable, and Mexican food-themed, invoking the TACO nickname investors have bestowed on the president for his economic flip-flopping. California Governor Gavin Newsom's press team was quick to pounce after Trump's announcement hit Truth Social, writing that it was 'TACO Thursday.' Another critic, writer Paul Rudnick, posted a dual screen grab noting headlines stating that Trump had said he wouldn't extend his tariff deadlines just a day before he announced yet another extension. And a Democratic congressman, Rep. Chuy Garcia of Texas, twisted the knife a bit further, pointing out on X that consumers — not the Mexican government — pay the tariffs at issue. Another X user, added:' SHE OWNS tRUMP ...TACO THURSDAY.'
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Factbox-What are the new tariff rates Trump set on US imports from dozens of countries?
(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday new tariffs of up to 41% on goods imported from dozens of countries, again citing emergency powers he says he is using to shrink the country's trade deficits with many of its trade partners. Here are the new adjusted reciprocal tariff rates levied on U.S. importers that Trump announced ahead of his August 1 deadline for negotiated trade agreements, listed in alphabetical order by country of origin. Imports from some countries, like Brazil, are facing additional tariffs that stack on top of the reciprocal tariffs listed below. Afghanistan 15% Algeria 30% Angola 15% Bangladesh 20% Bolivia 15% Bosnia and Herzegovina 30% Botswana 15% Brazil 10% Brunei 25% Cambodia 19% Cameroon 15% Chad 15% Costa Rica 15% Côte d`Ivoire 15% Democratic Republic of the 15% Congo Ecuador 15% European Union 0%–15% Equatorial Guinea 15% Falkland Islands 10% Fiji 15% Ghana 15% Guyana 15% Iceland 15% India 25% Indonesia 19% Iraq 35% Israel 15% Japan 15% Jordan 15% Kazakhstan 25% Laos 40% Lesotho 15% Libya 30% Liechtenstein 15% Madagascar 15% Malawi 15% Malaysia 19% Mauritius 15% Moldova 25% Mozambique 15% Myanmar (Burma) 40% Namibia 15% Nauru 15% New Zealand 15% Nicaragua 18% Nigeria 15% North Macedonia 15% Norway 15% Pakistan 19% Papua New Guinea 15% Philippines 19% Serbia 35% South Africa 30% South Korea 15% Sri Lanka 20% Switzerland 39% Syria 41% Taiwan 20% Thailand 19% Trinidad and Tobago 15% Tunisia 25% Turkey 15% Uganda 15% United Kingdom 10% Vanuatu 15% Venezuela 15% Vietnam 20% Zambia 15% Zimbabwe 15% (Compiled by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Jamie Freed)
