Yesterday, former President Donald Trump announced that his running mate in the 2024 presidential election is Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). Most cheered the selection, even as some of Trump’s supporters weren’t too happy about Vance once calling the former president “America’s Hitler.”
But among Trump’s farthest right base, a different debate is playing out. Some are hesitant about Vance because his wife Usha is not white. But others are enthused because Trump did not pick one of the Black men potentially in the running.
Usha Vance is Indian, the daughter of immigrants, and a lawyer. She clerked for both Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. And, like her husband, she is a Republican.
However, multiple prominent pro-Trump voices have made statements doubting Vance’s commitment to their white nationalist project.
In an episode of his show “America First,” prominent white supremacist Nick Fuentes talked about how Vance’s wife and children are not white and said Vance may not be able to support “white identity” should he be elected vice president.
“Do we really expect that the guy who has an Indian wife and named their kid Vivek is going to support white identity?” Fuentes said. “There’s a white genocide going on in the world. White people are being systematically replaced in America and Europe through immigration and—to a much lesser extent—due to inter-marrying.”
A clip of Fuentes’ statement was posted on X by progressive podcast host Tony Michaels.
Others questioned Vance’s views on immigration. He supports Trump’s border wall and continuing construction of it, saying he would “oppose every attempt to grant amnesty” to illegal immigrants.
But Vance’s wife’s race left some not believing the sincerity of his immigration positions.
“I’m sure this guy is going to be great on immigration,” Jaden McNeil tweeted alongside a photo of Vance, Usha, and their son Ewan. McNeil is a Trump supporter whose tweets about Republican politics regularly go mega-viral: His tweet about Vance and his family has been viewed almost 6 million times.
However, one prominent online racist and his following were motivated by the pick.
Andrew Torba, the founder of Gab, a far-right social media platform, tweeted that he is happy with Vance as Trump’s running mate because Vance is white and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is Black, was considered as Trump’s pick.
Rep. Bryon Donalds (R-Fla.) and Ben Carson, two other Black Republicans, were also in the initial mix.
“Tim freaking Scott was on the table as an option and you guys are blackpilling about Vance,” Torba tweeted yesterday, shortly after Trump’s announcement, cajoling his followers to not be disappointed. “Lol. Come on now.”
“He could have picked a woman. He could have picked another boomer. He picked the White guy in his 30s,” Torba added. “Calm down and have a little optimism. None of the choices were perfect. We’re playing the long game here and the board is starting to shift in our direction.”
One of Torba’s followers agreed, praising Trump for not making a diversity hire.
“Yes I was hoping for Ron DeSantis, but JD Vance is good. He is certainly not a DEI pick,” they wrote.
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