Vance tests 2028 message in Texas

Vice President JD Vance spent Thursday afternoon in Weatherford, Texas, mocking Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico before a cheering crowd. Vance noted that Talarico has spoken about grappling with his masculinity and whiteness. The vice president told the audience that there is not much to grapple with. His tone was sharper than President Donald Trump’s speech in Rock Hill, South Carolina, which took place the same day.

Vance’s delivery differed from the president’s style. He spoke more like a practiced politician than a stand-up comedian. Yet his remarks contained familiar elements of the MAGA movement. He insulted the opposing candidate and promised a return to American greatness. These speeches offer a preview of how Vance might pitch himself for the presidency in 2028.

The campaign trail has seen Vance paint a nostalgic picture of the United States. In North Carolina earlier in the week, he cited the pride and unity Americans felt after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He connected that feeling to his own childhood experiences. He spoke about football teams sponsored by local small businesses that no longer exist.

Vance told a crowd in Howell, Michigan, that he remembered seeing the names of sponsors on his old jerseys. He said those businesses failed due to politicians in faraway places who did not care about Michigan or Ohio. He argued that regular people paid the consequences for those decisions. This narrative frames his populist politics as a way to restore a simpler, more cohesive society.

Vance also leans into culture war themes that defined the previous administration. He described playing football with children from working-class Black and white families. He said they never worried about skin color or privilege. He presents this as a traditional value that his brand of politics can protect. This approach packages the anti-woke message with a more eloquent tone.

The vice president is also experimenting with a rougher edge. He told the Texas crowd he was sweating at the podium. He occasionally uses swear words in his remarks. This mix of polished storytelling and casual bluntness seems designed to appeal to different segments of the Republican base. The challenge for Vance is promoting GOP candidates while serving an unpopular president.

This difficulty is most acute when the president’s policies cause economic pain. Vance avoids mentioning the Iran war in his stump speeches, even though it drove up gas and diesel prices. Instead, he attributes high gas prices to general geopolitical instability. He told a Montana crowd that prices spiked in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine and in 1979, 2001, and 2007. He blamed tin-pot dictators for throwing tantrums that hurt consumers.

Vance has also addressed the high price of beef. He frames the issue as a result of consolidation among meatpackers. He sidesteps the fact that Trump’s policies angered beef producers. This strategy allows him to tackle a consumer pain point without directly criticizing the president’s trade record. It positions Vance as a practical problem-solver for everyday voters.

Vance also serves as the head of the president’s anti-fraud task force. The group aims to find waste in social safety net programs. This role gives Vance resume material and a way to share his personal history. He told a crowd in Cincinnati that he worked as a cashier at Dhillon Foods in Ohio. He said his family benefited from federal food benefit programs.

His memoir about growing up in poor rural Ohio helped launch his political career. This biography gives him tools that Trump does not have. Vance can speak personally about military service and economic hardship. Trump’s crowds loved his bombast and unfiltered anger. Any 2028 Republican candidate must figure out how to fill the void left by that singular performance.