Well, that didn’t take long. Shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, speculation began circulating that Donald Trump’s pick for VP, J.D. Vance, was a liability against Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Trump’s dilemma was summed up nicely in a clever X post, which asked who would last longer: Vance or a head of lettuce. The Vance-lettuce comparison that Republicans against Trump posted on X references a British joke: Which would last longer, then-British Prime Minister Liz Truss or a head of lettuce? (Spoiler alert: the lettuce won.) Could the same be said for Vance? Based on the responses to the post, the lettuce is about to go 2-0.
If lettuce stands a better chance, is Trump going to dump Vance?
We hate to admit it, but if Donald Trump does reconsider Ohio Republican JD Vance as his running made, it could benefit Trump’s campaign. Tim Alberta of The Atlantic wrote that Trump picked Vance with Biden in mind as his opponent. Now that he’s likely to face Harris in the fall, Vance’s political record and past statements could hurt Trump’s chances with undecided voters.
Vance has made some pretty outrageous comments about women and abortion, an especially hot-button topic this election cycle. Vance has said that women in abusive marriages should stay in the relationship for the kids and is in support of a national abortion ban. He’s also called women without children “childless cat ladies” and the list goes on from there.
Vance’s “Rust Belt” bone fides may have been enough against Biden, but with women — particularly independent women now at stake with Harris in the race — Trump’s Vance decision might backfire. One comment on Albert’s X post criticizing Trump’s decision to pick Vance summed it up nicely: “So picking a running mate who spoke against a teenage rape victim’s right to get an abortion wasn’t a good idea? 😳.”
So what’s in store for Vance? As Trump’s Communications Director, Steven Cheung, told Newsweek, “President Trump is thrilled with the choice he made with Senator Vance, and they are the perfect team to take back the White House. And any reporting to the contrary is nothing but ridiculous fake news from either non-existent sources or individuals who have no idea what’s going on.”
So there you have it, head of lettuce: The race is on.
