Former President Donald Trump had critics cringing hard after he and his running mate J.D. Vance appeared on Fox News for a joint interview during which he shared the real reason he picked Vance in the first place.
When asked by host Jesse Watters to explain why Vance was ultimately his choice to serve as a potential Vice President, Trump responded:
“We’ve always had a good chemistry. And originally, JD was probably not for me but he didn’t know me. And then, when we got to know each other, he liked me, maybe more than anybody liked me. And he would stick up for me and he’d fight for the worker as much as I fight for the worker.”
“We just had an automatic chemistry."
You can hear what Trump said in the video below.
It sure seemed like Trump doesn't think too highly of Vance—and people were quick to share their second-hand embarrassment.
Trump's statements are all the more odd given Vance's previous identity as a "Never Trumper" who once described Trump as "America's Hitler" and "cultural heroin" unable to regard the needs of the working class.
In 2016, Vance frequently criticized Trump in interviews tied to his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which had positioned him as a notable voice on rural America and Trump’s ascent in politics. He argued that the then-Republican presidential nominee offered empty promises that wouldn’t address the problems plaguing communities like his hometown in Ohio.
Additionally, he referred to Trump as an “idiot” in tweets that have since been deleted. During an August 2016 NPR interview, he mentioned that he might consider voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton if he believed Trump had a chance of winning.
Prior to his Senate campaign, Vance apologized for previously calling Trump “reprehensible," telling CNN in 2021 that "I regret being wrong about the guy" while declaring that Trump was a good president.
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