Doug and I were in Washington, D.C., over the weekend for a Christmas celebration at the vice president’s residence.
There were a lot of big names in attendance, and there were a lot of big donors there as well. And I will tell you, J.D. Vance is just in a class of one.
He is just so at ease among a crowd. He has the Bill Clinton thing of being able to make you feel like you are the only one who matters to him when he sees you. He actually looks in your eyes and listens to what you are saying. When you are talking to him, he is not looking over your shoulder. He is always ready with a follow-up – he doesn’t just make one comment and move on.
I am not even talking about my own interactions. This is what I observed watching him deal with others. He is just so easy with other people, so affable, so naturally clever and funny. He has the ‘it’ factor, and it is one of the many reasons why we call him “48.”
Looking at this new Vanity Fair profile, there is the quote from White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles that is going everywhere about how Vance has been a “conspiracy theorist for a decade.”
He totally brushed it off while speaking to reporters at an event on Tuesday, joking that he only believes in conspiracy theories that are “true” – like not masking children during COVID or Joe Biden’s decline.
That is why we call him 48. He is just so good. He didn’t shy away from it, and he just completely neutralized it. I don’t think Susie Wiles meant to hurt him, but, of course, Vanity Fair did.
Writer Chris Whipple actually touched on the potential Republican field in 2028 and was seemingly trying to pit Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio against one another. “Will Rubio challenge Vance with a top spot on the 2028 GOP presidential ticket,” Whipple wondered.
“If J.D. Vance runs for president, he is going to be our nominee,” reads the Rubio quote. “And I will be one of the first people to support him.”
Marco is incredibly talented too, but he sees what I saw.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 1,214 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.