JD Vance could already be planning how to succeed Donald Trump through a combination of ‘trolling’ and cozying up to the MAGA crowd, a political commentator has observed.
Vance has recently been on a mission to foster positive international relations, aiming to mend the frayed ties between the US and other nations.
His diplomatic efforts included trips to India for a sit-down with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and to Italy where he met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as well as the late Pope Francis.
Yet, despite these endeavours, some analysts still view him as unpredictable, noting his transformation from branding Trump “America’s Hitler” to becoming his Vice President and staunch defender of his contentious policies.
Commenting on Vance’s paradoxical actions, political commentator Edward Luce noted that Vance’s ambitions and strategies are transparent, reports the Irish Star.
Penning his thoughts in the Financial Times, Luce stated: “Few of these contradictions are easily resolved. But they are a distraction from his most salient quality. Vance will say and do what it takes to be Trump’s successor.
“[He] clearly relishes playing his worst self…As Donald Trump’s chief attack dog – though not yet his heir apparent – Vance is a prime target of ridicule on liberal social media.
“But he is also a master troller himself. Vance knows that the surest path to Maga hearts and Trump’s approval is to enrage liberals.”
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Vance’s diplomatic approach towards Ukraine, a former ally of America, has stirred up considerable controversy. A heated argument between Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump over a proposed minerals deal was reportedly instigated by Vance during their meeting.
Speaking in India a few weeks after this political tete-a-tete, Vance shed light on the US’s stance regarding the deal and the ongoing brutal war in eastern Ukraine.
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process.”
He added: “We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy of on the ground work. We’ve really tried to understand things from the perspective of both the Ukrainians and the Russians. What do the Ukrainians care most about? What do the Russians care most about?”
Sky reported that Vance hinted at a shift in the US’s position on the conflict, moving from pro-Ukraine to a more neutral stance.
Vance further stated: “I think that we’ve put together a very fair proposal. We’re going to see if the Europeans, the Russians, and the Ukrainians are ultimately able to get this thing over the finish line.
“I feel pretty optimistic about it. I think everybody has been negotiating in good faith, but its now time I think tot take, if not the final step, one of the final steps which is at a broad level the parties saying ‘We’re going to stop the killing, we’re going to freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today’.”
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