‘Awkward guy’: White House insiders fear Vance may do ‘more harm than good’ with speech
Hours before he is expected to speak at a Turning Point USA gathering in Mississippi, Vice President JD Vance did not get a vote of confidence from one White House insider.
According to a report from MSNBC’s Jake Traylor, Donald Trump's MAGA heir-apparent will attempt to step into the shoes of the late TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk by giving a speech and then taking questions at the SJB Pavilion on the University of Mississippi campus.
As Traylor wrote, Vance will attempt to mimic Kirk’s appearances on college campuses that came to an abrupt end during a visit to Utah Valley University.
The report notes that Vance’s performance will be “graded” against how Kirk was received, and there is some trepidation at the White House about whether he will pull it off.
With Traylor writing, “He will try to avoid the potential pitfalls that accompany an unpredictable, live college debate format that could lead to him seeming to diminish the office he now holds. And he will try to not be too obvious in his angling for a 2028 presidential bid,” one White House official attempted to downplay expectations by admitting, “There’s tons of risks.”
Vance has claimed, “I’m going to do exactly what Charlie did. {Kirk] would answer tough questions from the left and from the right, and so I want to do that, too,” which has MSNBC reporting, “White House officials and people close to Vance caution that simply playing Kirk may do more harm than good.”
”[Charlie] had unique skills,” one person admitted. “Vance can be an awkward guy on stage. He’s not going to be what Kirk was, he’s just different from that.”
According to the report, for Vance to advance his hopes of replacing Trump, he needs to get organizations like TPUSA on his side.
To political observers, "his proximity to Turning Point in recent weeks highlights his growing alliance with the powerhouse youth group amid early speculation of his own 2028 presidential run,” MSNBC is reporting.
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Dem congressional candidate hit with federal charges after anti-ICE protest
The Department of Justice has charged U.S. House Democratic candidate Kat Abughazaleh for allegedly impeding law enforcement following a September protest at the Broadview ICE facility in Chicago.
In addition to Abughazaleh, the DOJ also charged Michael Rabbitt, Andre Martin, Catherine Sharp, Brian Straw, and Joselyn Walsh. Authorities alleged that the group surrounded an ICE agent's vehicle and damaged it.
Abughazaleh, a former journalist, was accused of bracing her body against the vehicle. The indictment also claimed that someone scratched the word "PIG" on the car.
In a video posted to X, Abughazaleh said she was exercising her First Amendment rights.
"This is a political prosecution and a gross attempt to silence dissent, a right protected under the First Amendment," she explained. "This case is a major push by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish anyone who speaks out against them."
A video shared by DHS in September showed Abughazaleh being thrown to the ground by an officer outside the Broadview facility.
"Individuals and groups impeding ICE operations are siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers, and violent criminals," the post claimed. "You will not stop @ICEgov and DHS law enforcement from enforcing our immigration laws."
"I love watching communists get body slammed by ICE," Trump insider Laura Loomer responded, according to MSNBC.
"Good work," Fox News host Laura Ingraham agreed.
