A top adviser to former President Trump’s campaign shut down Wednesday a report that Trump has been privately grousing about his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).
Chris LaCivita, who along with Susie Wiles has effectively co-managed Trump’s White House bid, was asked on Fox News Radio about a Daily Mail report that said Trump has regrets about picking Vance.
“I generally don’t refer to British newspapers as my first place of information. I’ll say that, number one,” LaCivita said.
“Number two, no, it’s 100 percent not true,” he continued. “They talk two, three times a day at least. JD’s been fantastic in terms of laying the wood to [Minnesota Gov. Tim] Walz and Kamala Harris. He’s been out campaigning. He’s been a great partner. And no, there’s — it’s just — it’s fake news.”
Trump in July chose Vance to join the ticket, opting for the first-term senator and outspoken loyalist over other contenders including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). The selection of Vance was seen as a way to appeal to working-class voters, and to cement the future direction of the party.
But Vance stumbled out of the gate, with resurfaced comments in which he said “childless cat ladies” were running the country and policy proposals that would favor those who have children. Democrats labeled Vance “weird,” a line of attack that stuck and helped propel Walz to the Democratic ticket.
Vance has been a visible presence on the campaign trail in recent weeks, visiting battleground states Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Pennsylvania and shadowing Vice President Harris as she visits the same areas. He has been an attack dog on policy, hammering Harris on inflation and the surge in migration at the southern border.
“I have to tell you, JD Vance has really stepped up. He’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump said at a press conference last week.