During the general election, Vice President JD Vance made it clear that he was the attack dog of politics and one of the main messengers of Donald Trump’s campaign. Now that the vice president’s responsibilities are taking shape, he hopes to be Trump’s “eyes and ears” in Congress, a source told ABC News.
Leading up to the election, Vance had a busy schedule that mixed campaign events with extensive media appearances, including television interviews, sitting down for digital interviews and appearing on some of the world’s most listened-to podcasts.
In his election night speech, Trump called his running mate “passionate” and praised his campaign work.
But as Vance settles into his new role, a familiar source told ABC News that we should expect him to play a different role than we’ve become accustomed to over the past nearly four months.
Vance will not be assigned a specific issue to work on, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News that Vance will ensure that all of the Trump administration’s priorities move forward and that he will work on issues that Trump needs. good, but he will be involved in various political issues.
Vice President-elect JD Vance walks on Capitol Hill as U.S. Senate Republicans gather to vote on leadership positions, including Senate Majority Leaders, for the 119th Congress, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington.
Leah Millis/Reuters
Some of the policy issues that Vance may post on include the economy and immigration, which were major issues for Trump during his campaign, the source said.
Vance is also expected to be Trump’s “eyes and ears” in the Senate to make sure his agenda moves forward, the source also said.
It’s familiar territory for Vance, who was elected to the Senate in 2022. When Vance is sworn in as vice president in January, he will be the youngest vice president in modern American history and will enter office with a very short political portfolio. Those two years in the Senate were his first political positions.
Republican Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks outside St. Anthony of Padua Maronite Catholic Church after voting on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, in Cincinnati.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Vance will replace Trump’s last vice president, Mike Pence, who broke with Trump on accepting the results of the 2020 election and refused to pressure Trump to not certify the results of the election.
Vance has shown himself to be different from Pence by remaining steadfast in his loyalty to the president-elect and standing up for him at all times, something he spoke about before becoming Trump’s vice president. However, Vance once made his disdain for Trump clear, saying that he was A “never-Trump guy” in a 2016 interview with Charlie Rose.
Republican Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks during a campaign rally on Nov. 4, 2024 in Newtown, Pa.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
A source familiar with Vance and Trump’s relationship said Vance is focused on doing whatever it takes to support the president-elect and the administration.
“So whether that means focusing on a specific policy issue or serving as his hammer to get things across the finish line in the Senate, JD is ready to give it to the president,” the source told ABC News. “They have built a close personal friendship over the last few years and because of that, they have a lot of trust in each other.”
In June of this year, Vance spoke at a Turning Point event where he was asked what Trump needs in a vice president and Vance said “someone who doesn’t try to stab you in the back.”
“There are a lot of good, smart people who are looking at Trump, but it also applies to our senators. It also applies to our congressmen and women. We have to have people standing up for Trump, not trying to stab him. The backstory is very, very simple,” he said. he had
