() – Having rarely been seen in public in the two weeks since he gave a brief 46-second victory speech on election night, J. D Vance reappeared this week to fill one of the most important roles he is expected to play. as Donald Trump’s number two: to be his interlocutor on Capitol Hill.
The Ohio senator has been tasked by the president-elect to help oversee his policy priorities and ensure lawmakers don’t stand in the way of enacting his agenda, multiple sources familiar with the discussions told . That includes a concerted push to shore up support for Trump’s Cabinet picks, starting with two of the most controversial, both of whom face allegations of sexual misconduct that they deny.
On Wednesday, Vance brought former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump’s pick for attorney general, to Capitol Hill to meet with senators who will be crucial during his confirmation process. And this Thursday he will do the same with former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, proposed by Trump to head the Department of Defense.
The effort marks a first test of Vance’s influence in the Senate, a body he joined less than two years ago. His ability to help ensure confirmation of Trump’s Cabinet choices, especially the more unorthodox ones, will be a key measure of the vice president-elect’s political acumen and influence.
Congressional Republicans acknowledge that Vance has not necessarily developed lasting relationships on Capitol Hill during his brief time in Washington.
“He doesn’t have long relationships. But we all like people who have done the same thing as us. There is a kind of natural kinship, although not as lasting,” said North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer.
But some Republicans have also built direct conduits to Trump since his first term in the Oval Office and could choose to address the president-elect directly.
“When I call the White House, if I were to leave a message with five people who work there, the one most likely to call me back – and the one who will call me back first – is Donald Trump,” Cramer added, noting that “as a team, They will be very good. And they will divide and conquer. They will hand out names, you know, who has the most persuasion.”
Vance set the tone for his return to the Capitol with a public message to his Republican Party colleagues.
JD Vance: We saw the biggest political comeback in US history.
“Donald J. Trump just won an important election victory. Their tails turned a 49-51 Senate into a 53-47 Senate,” Vance wrote in X this Wednesday. “He deserves a cabinet that is loyal to the agenda for which he was elected.”
The occurrence served as a reminder to senators that they will soon have to vote on Trump’s Cabinet picks. The day before, Vance also launched a colorful broadside, following criticism online over his absence during the Senate vote on one of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees. In response to Grace Chong, a contributor to Trump ally Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, who had urged him and other GOP senators expected to serve in Trump’s second term to “do their p **or work,” Vance responded by calling her a “mouth-breathing f*****.” Both Chong and Vance have since deleted their messages.
Vance defended his absence by arguing that his vote was not crucial given the current Democratic majority in the Senate and noted that he was instead meeting with Trump and potential picks to lead the FBI, even though the current director is still in place. half of a 10-year term.
Shortly after the exchange, Trump also urged GOP senators to block further judicial confirmations. “Republican senators have to show up and hold the line,” Trump wrote on social media. “No more judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!”
The vice president-elect, who has met with Trump most days since Election Day, has been closely involved in his key Cabinet picks, including weighing in on the selection of Trump’s former acting ICE director Tom Homan. to serve as the administration’s “border czar,” as well as former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of National Intelligence, multiple sources close to Trump and Vance told .
Vance has spent most of his time since the election at Mar-a-Lago as part of a small group of Trump officials and allies, including Elon Musk and Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, who have sitting in almost all the key transition meetings. The three developed a bond that predates the campaign and has continued into the early days of the Trump transition.
The Ohio senator has disappeared from the airwaves amid the busy transition, marking a radical change from the cable media appearances he maintained during the campaign.
The expectation is that Vance “will once again be a constant presence on television and Trump’s leading defender” as the transition slows and Inauguration Day approaches, a person close to him said.
A Trump adviser noted that one of the president-elect’s key priorities – which he has made clear in the decisions he has made for other senior Cabinet positions – is to ensure that Vance consistently defends him and his policies on television.
“Obviously, President Trump is the best defender of his agenda. But if you look at JD’s effectiveness in the campaign, there is no better substitute for President Trump’s agenda,” the adviser said.
As Trump continues to build his Cabinet and senior staff for his second term, arming his picks with agendas to carry out on his behalf, it remains unclear which portfolio will occupy Vance’s time.
This decision carries weighty implications that may extend well beyond the next four years, particularly for a 40-year-old man who is increasingly seen as a leading heir to Trump’s MAGA movement. Over the past four months, Trump and Vance have harshly criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’s performance in one of her key tasks – addressing the root causes of illegal immigration from Central America –, directly attributing blame for the increase in border crossings.
Several people close to Trump and Vance say it is too early for the transition team to begin discussing what their priorities will be, but they insist that Vance will directly follow Trump’s direction.
However, Vance has publicly and privately acknowledged the issues that concern him most, particularly those on which he claimed to be a leading voice during his short time in the Senate.
“In JD’s view, his role as vice president is to take on whatever President Trump wants him to take on,” the person close to Vance told . “That said, it’s no secret that JD cares deeply about immigration, technology and economic issues.”
Vance is also waiting for Trump to build out his White House team before announcing any staff hires for his office. One of his top aides, White House deputy chief of staff James Braid, was nominated by Trump as White House legislative affairs director, making one of Vance’s top allies his liaison to Capitol Hill.
Together, the two are responsible for pushing Trump’s agenda in Congress and pressuring members to carry out what Trump has repeatedly called behind closed doors the mandate voters have given him.
“Vance is an integral part of a process that already includes the Capitol and will likely continue. There is a big shortlist, and then there will be a big agenda,” a senior Trump adviser told . “That is the president fulfilling the promises that represent the platform that we have an overwhelming mandate to implement. “That’s going to involve the Capitol, and for all those reasons, you’re going to see JD as part of that.”
– ‘s Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
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