In his rise from Donald Trump critic to viable contender to be the presumptive Republican nominee’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio has come so far. But he may fall just short thanks to some risk-averse GOP donors.
Ironically, the bearded 39-year-old—at least for now, given Trump’s well-documented aversions to facial hair—Ivy League author may end up hoist by his own petard. The best thing Vance has going for him in the Trump veepstakes, among the base, may also be his undoing as a potential running mate—some donors are scared of him.
The very same coastal elites who once adored Vance have been trying to sabotage his vice presidential aspirations, according to three Republicans familiar with the veepstakes who spoke to The Daily Beast. All spoke under the condition of anonymity in order to relay private conversations among donors around the most hush-hush of discussions in Trumpworld.
