JD Vance: ‘despicable toady for Trump’ – and 2028 candidate in all but name

‘The 41-year-old used this routine appearance in Concord, North Carolina last September to present himself as a hardline warrior with a heart.’ Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

“We did not have a lot of money,” said JD Vance, placing hand on heart as he recalled his childhood in Middletown, Ohio, in the 1990s. “I was raised by a woman who struggled often to put food on the table and clothes on her back.”

There was an earnest cry from the audience. “Mamaw!” shouted a man.