Key facts
- The Atlantic republished JD Vance's 2014 essay criticizing Donald Trump.
- In the essay, Vance described Trump's political appeal as 'cultural heroin'.
- Vance predicted that Trump's supporters would eventually realize he could not solve their problems.
- The essay was republished on its 10th anniversary and the US's semiquincentennial.
- Vance, who had previously been a critic of Trump, later became his running mate.
The Atlantic has republished a 2014 essay by JD Vance in which he sharply criticized Donald Trump, describing his appeal as 'cultural heroin' and predicting that his supporters would eventually recognize he could not solve their problems. The magazine stated it was republishing the piece on its 10th anniversary to allow readers to assess Vance's initial assessment of Trump.
During Trump's first presidential campaign, Vance, then working at Peter Thiel's venture capital firm Mithril Capital Management, wrote that many Americans turned to Trump as a 'pain reliever' amidst social crisis and distrust in government. Vance argued that Trump offered an 'easy escape from the pain' with simple solutions but lacked the details to implement them, comparing his promises to 'the needle in America’s collective vein.'
The essay resurfaces as Trump's approval ratings are reportedly near historic lows, with issues such as mass deportation campaigns, failure to reduce prices, and involvement in new wars cited. Trump himself marked the US's 250th anniversary with a speech declaring a 'golden age' for the nation.
Vance, who had previously described himself as a 'never Trump guy' and called Trump 'America’s Hitler,' significantly shifted his stance to run for the US Senate in Ohio in 2022 with Trump's endorsement. He subsequently became Trump's running mate for the 2024 presidential campaign, stating a change of heart after witnessing the results of Trump's policies. Now a strong defender of Trump, Vance is widely expected to be a contender for the presidency in the future.
David Frum, a senior editor at The Atlantic, commented that Vance had crossed a line for his career by aligning with Trump, suggesting Vance had indicated this boundary in advance.