JD Vance is the future of the Republican Party

Since his late conversion to the Trump faith, Vance has done as much to flesh out his political agenda as anyone on the political right. On Tuesday we saw the result: a remarkably extreme future of forced births and the use of the military on the streets of America to deport people who have lived here for decades and, in many cases, are legitimate citizens who have a right to be here. This is Donald Trump’s political project, yes. But now it belongs to JD Vance.

The electoral appeal of Trumpism without Trump is still untested. The available data we have in the form of competitive races in the Senate and House of Representatives — and, for that matter, in the form of Vance’s shockingly poor popularity ratings — suggests that any successor will have a hard time restoring both sentiments And the coalition that Trump has built. Vance was disciplined on Tuesday, but he was also lucky: Tim Walz began the debate nervously and, perhaps surprised by Vance’s friendly, at times reserved demeanor, often let the Ohio senator off the hook. Still, there was nothing to suggest that Vance is the obvious successor to Trump or even a generational talent.

But it was clear that Vance’s political approach wasn’t going away anytime soon – perhaps not even if Trump and Vance are defeated in November. These probably won’t be wild digressions about crowd size, but rather calculated lies demonizing immigrants. She will focus relentlessly on remaking America politically and culturally, punishing anyone seen as an enemy of that project: immigrants, women, liberals. There can be no loud rallies and digressions about Hannibal Lecter or electrocution sharks. But it will be based on relentless lies about his true goals. The future of the GOP is secure. She will arrive, as Vance did Tuesday, with a smile.