Analysis: Why JD Vance might not carry Trump’s MAGA torch into the future

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John T. Bennett | (TNS) CQ-Roll Call

WASHINGTON — It’s too soon to brand Sen. JD Vance as the surefire heir to Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” throne.

At least that was the consensus of some Republican delegates and lawmakers interviewed as they milled about the Fiserv Forum or the vast space outside last week in Milwaukee, sipping local brews and congregating between sessions of their national political convention.

Many of those wearing Trump or MAGA gear enthusiastically said his movement would survive beyond the 78-year-old Republican nominee’s political career — and life. In fact, many said there essentially is no difference between Trump and the party.

What there was disagreement on was any notion Vance, a 39-year-old self-described “hillbilly” with populist conservative views tapped to be Trump’s running mate, would inevitably be the one to carry the MAGA torch into the future.

Dan Musholt, a delegate from Canton, Missouri, described Vance as “just one of many because, look, we’ve got a really deep bench.”

“I think Donald Trump picked Vance to complement himself and his strengths on the ticket,” Musholt said on July 17, the day after several potential future presidential candidates addressed the Republican convention. “But there are others that I really, really like. You’ve got Byron Donalds, Tim Scott also is someone I like. Marco Rubio, I think, let everyone know last night he’s interested in the future.” (He was referring to the Florida House member, South Carolina senator and Florida senator.)

Like others interviewed on the topic, Musholt mused that Trump could opt to hand the torch to a family member. “I could easily see Lara Trump being the future,” he said of the Republican National Committee co-chair and former president’s daughter-in-law, less than 24 hours after she received solid applause from delegates with the keynote prime-time address on July 16. “She’s dynamic, she’s got his (Trump’s) ear, and she can reach the people.”

Rochelle Brooks, a Texas delegate wearing a bright-red shirt and white cowboy hat, was enjoying a Lake Michigan breeze outside the Fiserv Forum as she offered her assessment of the party’s future.

“I think it depends on how Vance performs as vice president,” she said. “I think it’s up to Vance if he’s the future of the party. But he’s got to be loyal to Donald Trump. And I hope Trump learned from the first time when he picked Mike Pence, who became a traitor on Jan. 6 — I’m so tired of people stabbing him (Trump) in the back.”

The then-vice president refused to go along with Trump’s wishes that he prevent Congress from counting states’ Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, 2021. As a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol that day, some chanted “hang Mike Pence” and a gallows was outside. Pence launched a bid last year to challenge Trump for the nomination, but dropped out in October.

Ian Bergstrom, a delegate from Nassau County, New York, said he expects Vance “will have a lot of competition going forward.”

“There are a lot of lawmakers and younger people making moves already,” he said from behind a pair of reflective aviator sunglasses. Asked if any of those up-and-coming Republicans stood out to him, Bergstrom replied after a moment of contemplation: “Byron Donalds is a very impressive person. Hopefully he is appointed to Trump’s Cabinet. That could really give him momentum for the future.”

On the evening of July 18, Donalds also was sporting aviators as he held court with reporters and delegates outside the arena a few hours before Trump accepted the party’s nomination. He smiled and slowly shook his head when asked by CQ-Roll Call about delegates naming him as a potential heir to Trump’s movement.

“I mean, listen, JD is the … vice presidential nominee. So our No. 1 job is electing Donald Trump,” Donalds said. “I mean, you’re asking about a question four years from now, really more like four years and four months from now. I have no idea. What I do know about politics is that things are changing and moving all the time.”

Notably, however, he did not rule out a White House bid of his own in 2028: “What’s gonna happen in politics in the future? We’ll see.” Donalds is also seen as a potential candidate for governor in Florida to succeed Ron DeSantis, another Trump rival in the primaries who, unlike Pence, got a speaking role at the convention.

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., also was among those who did not automatically assume Vance would be the person to carry the MAGA mantle post-Trump.

“I think the future of the party, whether it’s Donald Trump Jr. or Eric Trump or Lara Trump or JD Vance, or people in the House or people in the Senate, is this: Make America great. America first. Make America secure. Make America safe. Make America strong,” Mast said, reciting the themes of the four nights of the Republican convention.

“That is the future of the party. And for individuals that will not represent those things in their respective states, I don’t think they’ll make it through GOP primaries, even beyond Trump,” Mast added. “He’s the America-first president. And his principles should guide us.”

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., did not even mention Vance’s name when asked on July 18 if the Ohio senator is the party’s future.

“I think what you’re seeing, not just tonight, but every night, is the future of the party. The party is changing before our eyes. It’s the party of the people. And you’ve seen people from all walks of life … on that stage this week,” she said. “We’re more accepting of everybody, more so than ever — and that’s because of Donald Trump’s leadership.”

Those assessments came a few days before a NPR/PBS/Marist College poll was conducted on July 22 that found 41% of registered voters nationally had never heard of Vance.

That survey suggested the Trump campaign has work to do selling him to voters, with 28% reporting a favorable view of the “Hillbilly Elegy” author and 31% saying they had a negative view. Among Republicans, 57% said they had a favorable view of the senator, while 32% were unsure or had never heard of him. Eleven percent of GOP voters said they had an unfavorable view of Vance.

Vance was welcomed warmly during his July 17 vice presidential nomination acceptance speech. But he did not bring down the house at any point and got mostly tepid applause. An audience Monday in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, offered the same as he walked through his dramatic life story. He also contradicted himself in what was his solo campaign trail debut as the party’s vice presidential nominee.

At one point Monday afternoon, he claimed his family found 18 “loaded” firearms in the home of his late grandmother — who he calls “Mamaw” — after she died. A few minutes later, he proudly declared, “Mamaw didn’t worry about safety in Middletown,” and allowed him to ride his bicycle wherever he wished.

What’s more, an audience at an RNC event booed when his wife, Usha, claimed her husband had become a vegetarian when they met. But on Monday, a reporter traveling with him tweeted a picture of Vance’s lunch aboard his private plane, dubbed “Trump Force Two,” which included deep-fried chicken tenders. At a rally that evening in Radford, Virginia, he again received friendly but light applause — and when he stumbled during his remarks, some in the audience booed.

There was no booing on July 16 while former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy addressed the convention. “Vivek has a lot of charisma, and his ideas, I think, are probably the most like Trump’s,” said Musholt, the Missouri delegate. “I think Vivek’s going to have something to say about the future for sure.”

Ramaswamy told the convention that “we deserve a better class of politician, one who actually tells us the truth — even if it comes with some mean tweets from time to time,” he said. “And our message to Gen Z is this: You’re going to be the generation that actually saves this country. You want to be a rebel? You want to be a hippie? You want to stick it to the man?

“Show up on your college campus and try calling yourself a conservative. Say you want to get married, have kids, teach them to believe in God and pledge allegiance to their country,” he added. “Because you know what? Fear has been infectious in this country, but courage can be contagious, too. That, too, is what it means to be an American.”

The lines were met with boisterous applause as delegates stood as one, roaring their collective approval.

___

©2024 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

After a grueling Tour de France, top riders are racing to recover for Paris Olympics time trial

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By DAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer

The conclusion to the Tour de France last Sunday in Nice, where Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar became a three-time champion by dominating rival Jonas Vingegaard and the rest of the field, has sent some of the world’s best cyclists into the road race at the Paris Olympics in the best possible shape.

For others, the race is on to recover from three grueling weeks in time for Saturday’s time trial.

The cycling schedule was altered for this Summer Games, and the traditional road race that starts the program was pushed back to give riders competing in it a longer break. But to make the revised schedule work, the time trial was pushed ahead to the day after the opening ceremony, which means many riders from the Tour will still have wobbly legs.

The biggest among them is Remco Evenepoel, the 24-year-old from Belgium who won the first of the Tour’s two time trials and went on to finish third in the overall. But after Pogacar withdrew from the Olympics, citing fatigue, the race against the clock is wide open, especially given how little time riders have to recover from their trek through the French countryside.

“The big three are Filippo Ganna, Remco and Josh Tarling,” said Brandon McNulty, the American time trial champion, who did not compete in the Tour and hopes his fresh legs can carry him to his nation’s first medal in the men’s time trial since 2008.

After a pause, McNulty kept on going, throwing out Stefan Kueng of Switzerland as another podium contender. Belgium’s Wout van Aert also could be in the mix, provided he has recovered from seven top-10 finishes during the Tour.

Belgium’s Wout van Aert crosses the finish of the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time trial over 33.7 kilometers (20.9 miles) with start in Monaco and finish in Nice, France, Sunday, July 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

The race begins at Invalides and ends at the gilded bridge of Pont Alexandre III. All the riders will pass by Notre Dame, the Place de la Bastille and the former royal residence at Chateau de Vincennes, along with several more of Paris’ iconic sites.

One they will avoid: the Champs-Elysée, the historic thoroughfare where the Tour typically finishes but has been taken over during the Olympics and forced the second of the three Grand Tours to finish in Nice.

“It’s pretty flat, a few corners, but it’s pretty simple overall,” McNulty said. “Some bumpy roads and stuff, but fast.”

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That could play into the hands of American time trial world champion Chloe Dygert in the women’s race.

The 27-year-old from Brownsburg, Indiana, has overcome a lot to become the favorite to win gold in Paris. Dygert was in a career-threatening crash at the world championships in 2020 that derailed her plans to race for gold the following year at the Tokyo Games, then dealt with a series of injuries and illnesses along with some off-the-bike-hurdles in her personal life.

“Looking back at Rio in 2016, I took everything for granted,” said Dygert, who helped the U.S. win silver in the team pursuit in the velodrome that year. “I remember Rio better than Tokyo because I was happier and healthier. I respected and felt so much more grateful for being able to go to Tokyo after my accident. I realized and understood better that being selected for the Olympics is such an accomplishment and that it’s such a massive dream for everyone.”

The bigger dream is to win gold, though. Dygert also has a bronze medal from the team pursuit at the Tokyo Games.

Yet the path to the top step of the podium remains a daunting one in Paris.

Dygert’s biggest challenge could come from Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands, who gave birth to her first child in October and returned to racing in March, only to break her ankle while training in June. The three-time world time trial champion decided a few weeks ago that she was in good enough shape to race in Paris.

“It doesn’t bother me on the bike and that’s the most important thing,” said van Dijk, who was left off the time trial team for Tokyo and watched compatriots Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen take gold and bronze, respectively.

“I haven’t had an ideal preparation and that may affect (my race),” van Dijk added, “but in the end I feel good and I’m going to give it my all. I want to enjoy it, because being here is special as it is.”

It might rain during the Paris Olympics’ ambitious opening ceremony

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PARIS (AP) — Will weather wreak havoc with the grandiose opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on the Seine River?

According to the latest weather forecasts, there is a chance of rain Friday.

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Meteo-France, the French weather service, is forecasting overcast skies from midday onward, with light rain anticipated in the morning. The weather should improve in the afternoon, but the weather service warned Thursday that showers could hit the Paris region in the evening, when the ceremony takes place.

If it rains, the ceremony is expected to go on as planned. It starts at 1:30 p.m. EST/10:30 a.m. PST and should last more than three hours.

“For the moment, the risk of showers during the opening ceremony cannot be ruled out,” Meteo France said. “Forecasts have yet to be confirmed.”

There was some good news, though, with a balmy summer evening looming. Temperatures will be close to 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 10,500 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.

Newsom issues executive order for removal of homeless encampments in California

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday for the removal of homeless encampments in his state.

Newsom’s order would direct state agencies on how to remove the thousands of tents and makeshift shelters across the state that line freeways, clutter shopping center parking lots and fill city parks. The order makes clear that the decision to remove the encampments remains in the hands of local authorities.

The guidance comes after a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this summer allowing cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces. The case was the most significant on the issue to come before the high court in decades and comes as cities across the country have wrestled with the politically complicated issue of how to deal with a rising number of people without a permanent place to live and public frustration over related health and safety issues.

“We must act with urgency to address dangerous encampments,” Newsom said in a statement.

While Newsom cannot order local authorities to act, his administration can apply pressure by withholding money for counties and cities.