In recently revealed direct messages from 2020, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance shared his thoughts on former President Donald Trump's economic populism and the 2020 election. Vance expressed disappointment in Trump's failure to deliver on economic populism, aside from a disjointed China policy. He also indicated his belief that Trump would lose the 2020 election.
The messages, obtained by a source, showed Vance discussing wealthy business executives entering politics, mentioning figures like Mike Bloomberg and Silvio Berlusconi. Vance seemed skeptical that Trump's wealthiest donors would switch sides in the election, suggesting they were content with Trump's policies that aligned with their interests.
Vance's spokesperson clarified that Vance's comments on Trump's economic populism were not meant as a criticism of Trump himself but rather of establishment Republicans in Congress who hindered Trump's efforts to implement a populist economic agenda.
In a separate message from June 2020, Vance predicted that Joe Biden would emerge victorious in the election, stating his belief that Trump would likely lose.