Political neophyte and Hill Billy cosplayer JD Vance trashed his new boss back in 2016. Having previously believed the many women accusing Trump of sexual abuse, Vance now believes Trump is a fine, upstanding running mate.
In 2016, Vance thought it was advantageous to trash-talk his now boss, Donald Trump. It is unclear if the usually terrible vetting done by the RNC and Trump teams ignored the previous statements or if their certainty of a win over Biden made it immaterial. Now, it just helps paint the picture of JD Vance, an experienced sycophant.
Vance appeared on a MSNBC segment in October 2016 on Trump's alleged sexual misconduct in which an interview with Jessica Leeds, a former salesperson who accused Trump of groping and forcibly kissing her during a flight in the 1970s, was played. Vance said it was hard to believe Trump's denials over Leeds.
"At a fundamental level, this is sort of a 'he said, she said,' right? And at the end of the day, do you believe Donald Trump, who always tells the truth? Just kidding," said Vance sarcastically. "Or do you believe that woman on that tape?" he said, referring to Leeds.
But by May 2023, in a sign of his shift on Trump from open critic to fiercely loyal surrogate, Vance's position changed entirely while invoking similar language: Vance said he believed his "friend" Trump, just after the former president was found liable by a jury for sexual abuse against author E. Jean Carroll.
"I think fundamentally the lawsuit is about something that happened 25 years ago. It's a 'he said, she said' situation. And I trust my friend and the guy that I've known and gotten to know," the Ohio Republican told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, about six months after winning his US Senate race with Trump's endorsement.
CNN
Vance also left fingerprints all over anti-Trump social media in 2016. It was clearly something Vance felt was helping him in 2016, and he sure would like to distance himself from it now.
In deleted likes from his Twitter account, reviewed by CNN, Vance had also indicated he believed Trump's accusers and those who criticized Trump as a "serial sexual assault[er]."
"Maybe the Central Park 5 could take out a full-page ad to condemn the coddling of thug real estate barons who commit serial sexual assault," read the post, again posted just after the "Access Hollywood" tape surfaced.
Another post liked in 2016 by Vance said, "I wish there was a 2nd Vice Presidential debate just to see @GovPenceIN deny that Trump said he grabbed p*ssy."
CNN
Previously:
• Stormy Daniels says Trump compared her to daughter Ivanka
• Melania's Pay-Off and King Charles 'master-stroke' in this week's dubious tabloids
• Republicans can't find an angle with Harris, but she's got Trump's number
