If you’ve noticed Donald Trump and his vice presidential pick JD Vance don’t seem to be in the same place very often, you’re not imagining things. Vance recently sat down with NBC News to discuss what being Trump’s running mate is like, and he accidentally revealed that the former president doesn’t want to be seen with him in the process. According to Vance: “[Trump] said, basically, ‘I trust you. We should both be in different places, unless it’s a really big event … divide and conquer.'”
Although this method of tackling campaign events could help Trump and Vance reach more audiences than joint appearances, it seems there’s more to the disconnect than just not being seen together. Vance’s description of their strategy suggests there’s little unity in how his running mate and he are getting the MAGA message out to supporters: “We’re each trying to talk to different people in different ways, and we’re each trying to try to run the race as best we can,” Vance added.
This may seem like a strange way for running mates to behave, but clues to Trump’s desire to avoid being seen with Vance may stem from their past. After all, Vance wasn’t always a fan of the former president, and building a working relationship after a history of bad blood can be an uphill battle.
