With just a few weeks left before the midterm elections, Republicans are scrambling to find a compelling argument to win over voters disillusioned with their performance over the last two years. The option vice president — and future presidential hopeful — JD Vance seems to have landed on is outright begging voters not to call it quits on the GOP.
“Give us another chance,” Vance pleaded with prospective voters in a Tuesday appearance on the All In podcast. “Give us another couple years to continue to work on the amazing things that we’ve been doing for the past two years.”
“Even if you don’t agree with us on every issue, the other party is consumed by craziness,” Vance added.
Republicans have been attempting to refocus voters’ attention on the marginal culture war issues that motivated large swaths of their base in the 2024 election: immigration, anti-trans policies, and the threat of communist infiltration. But while culture war hysteria played a role in bringing Trump back to the White House, voters at large were primarily driven by the continued economic stagnation of the post-Covid economy. Inflation was up, prices were high, rents and interest rates had shot up. Trump promised Americans a golden age of economic prosperity.
Instead, he made things worse: Trade wars and a tariff regime that increased costs for working class Americans. A war of choice against Iran that has skyrocketed the cost of gas, diesel, and other petroleum products. Massive tax cuts for wealthy Americans that were paid for by kicking off poor and working families from their health care and other social safety net benefits. Meanwhile, Trump and his family are raking in billions in openly corrupt dealings with both American companies and foreign entities.
During his speech at an emergency midterm Republican convention held earlier this month, Trump instructed voters to “pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot.” It’s not a message that the Republican candidates who actually will be on the ballot are thrilled with, and Vance — speaking at the same convention — gave the game away.
“Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater,” he urged. “Don’t give the country over to a bunch of crazy people because you happen to disagree with us on a policy issue here or there.”
“Look, I’m not asking anybody to agree with me on every single issue. I’m not asking anybody to agree on every single policy of the administration,” the vice president added. “What I am asking you to do is to recognize the contrast with the radicals and recognize the achievements of the last 18 months.”
But the polling is bearing out the same truth time and time again, when weighing the supposed “achievements” of the second Trump administration. Voters increasingly feel like they fell for false promises. We’ll know in November whether they’re willing to give Trump yet another chance.
