JD Vance: The Actual Dumpster Fire America Accused Kamala Harris of Being
Vance’s historically low approval ratings are vindicating the former VP in real time.
By Carron J. Phillips
White men have always been allowed to be mediocre in positions of prestige. JD Vance is becoming the king of that hill.
While many perceive facts as subjective and uncomfortable truths as “fake news,” numbers remain undeniable. And, according to the data, Vance, not Kamala Harris, is on track to become the worst vice president in American history.
Last week, ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos released findings from a poll they conducted on how Americans are rating President Donald Trump on the way he’s handling the country’s most pressing matters. Though the headline focused on his approval rating dipping to the lowest of his term (37%), the standout statistic was that only 35% of Americans approved of the way Vance is handling his role as VP.
The findings align with a report from April indicating why so many disapprove of Vance. According to Newsweek, when measured at this stage of their tenures, Vance ranks last among modern-era VPs. “Vice President Kamala Harris was at minus 13 points at a comparable moment. Mike Pence stood at minus 7, Joe Biden had a net positive of 4 points and Dick Cheney had the significantly higher net approval rating of plus 37. The data analyst described Vance’s standing as ‘historically the worst’ when compared to the other vice presidents,” the publication discovered.
If this were The Apprentice, Vance would be fired.
For as easy as it is to make the argument that the unfair expectations, unreasonable standards, and scrutiny that Harris faced while in office were because of her race and gender, that comparison would solely diminish just how unworthy of a VP selection Vance is. His incompetence isn’t just because he can’t fill the shoes of the Black woman who preceded him. It’s because of how laughable his resume stacks up to his predecessors in total.
Before becoming the first woman, Black person, and South Asian American to hold the second-highest office in the land, Harris spent over 30 years in public service as a district attorney, attorney general of California and senator. Mike Pence had been a member of Congress and governor of Indiana. Joe Biden was a stalwart in D.C. as the long-time senator from Delaware. Dick Cheney had served in and worked in Congress, as White House chief of staff, and as secretary of Defense. Al Gore and Dan Quayle had been senators and U.S House members, and George H.W. Bush had been an ambassador and ran the CIA.
Vance’s greatest accomplishment before entering the Oval Office was spending 18 months in the Senate.
“Frankly, I don’t really understand the pick, and apparently neither do the American voters,” CNN data analyst Harry Enten said about Vance when he was selected as Trump’s running mate. Vance’s approval ratings after the Republican National Convention were negative six, making him the first VP nominee in the negative since 1980.
Vance makes Pence look like Gore in the same way that Trump has made George W. Bush likable enough for Michelle Obama to befriend him. Let’s not forget that MAGA members wanted to kill Pence during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, and the same people who are now Trump supporters were at one time so fed up with Bush that they helped elect a Black man — twice.
Vance’s unsuitability for his position highlights how race and gender have influenced America’s “tolerance” for recent vice presidents, and the disingenuous goalpost-moving that Harris endured is proof. Now, the favorability of the VP has fallen off a cliff, as he seems aimless.
Next month, Vance will release a memoir that will explore his journey to rediscovering his religious faith. It’s rare for a vice president to release a book in the middle of a term. Given the circumstances, it is unlikely that he will participate in a book tour. However, if he could, it’s safe to assume that attendees wouldn’t disrupt his events as Harris encountered during her tour.
Cowards do not treat men the same way they treat women, particularly Black women. Besides, it is not like there will be anything in that book worth reading, anyway.
“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m gonna do.” — JD Vance.
Carron J. Phillips is an award-winning journalist who writes on race, culture, social issues, politics, and sports. He hails from Saginaw, Michigan, and is a graduate of Morehouse College and Syracuse University. Follow his personal Substack to keep up with more of his work.
Please be clearer - you go from saying Vance has "a 35% approval rating" to comparing this accomplishment with "Vice President Kamala Harris was at minus 13 points at a comparable moment, Mike Pence stood at minus 7, Joe Biden had a net positive of 4 points..."
I assume you mean Vance's net rating is (35% approvers minus 65% disapprovers) viz minus 30 points - correct? Don't make your readers work hard unnecessarily!
What's the matter? Isn't the orange jesus letting his VP partake in his riches? Is that why he has to write a "memoir" n hopes of making some money? Good luck with that. I don't think even the mAgas are going to spend money on that, especially with so many of them not being able to read.