Ohio Senator Jay D. Vance on Monday evening, the day before his long-awaited vice presidential debate with Tim Waltzmade a direct ad to people donating billions to the Republican Party.
In a private dining room at a French restaurant in New York, Vance addressed some of the Republican Party’s biggest donors, New York Times reported.
The Republican vice presidential nominee and Donald Trump’s running mate in the upcoming presidential election met with members of the American Opportunity Alliance, according to New York Times. Vance was interviewed by the head of the conservative think tank Manhattan Institute, Reyhan Salam, during a private event.
The American Opportunity Alliance includes a Wall Street crowd and some major donors to Vance’s party, many of whom, interestingly, still don’t support Vance or former President Donald Trump. The group also includes famous hedge fund manager Paul Singer, a known leader of the group. Vance received positive feedback from some members, while others expressed their concerns about some of Vance’s stance on the economy and foreign policy.
Vance also briefly mentioned the upcoming vice presidential debate in which he will participate, which is the reason for his presence in New York. The Republican vice presidential nominee was asked, according to sources, whether he would be able to handle opponent Tim Walz with a straight face Tuesday night.
In response, Vance pointed to Waltz’s tendency to use dramatic gestures and said he would prefer to keep the focus of the debate on issues like borders and immigration, which Vance says is the Achilles heel of the Democratic couple, Waltz and Kamala Harris.
Vance was also joined during the meeting by Usha Vance, his wife, whom he said she would praise if he did well during the debate. If the opposite happened, he said, the responsibility would be his alone.
Vance was also questioned about his plans to use his platform to appeal to more moderate Republicans like Mitt Romney and Nikki Haley. In response, he said that he was very interested in winning their support. Vance has repeatedly acknowledged that some of his positions on issues are unpopular, NYT reported.
Vance, for example, defended his position on Ukraine. His position on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine was more or less in line with the donor group’s interventionist leanings.
Highlighting his recent appearance on podcasts like the Nelk Boys’ “Full Send,” Vance acknowledged that he and Trump are working in tandem to attract young male voters.
Interestingly, Vance last spoke to the group in 2016 during his anti-Trump phase following the publication of his memoir Hillbilly Elegy. Notably, after Vance’s political positions changed in 2016, several members of the group decided to support Vance’s opponents.
Mr Vance last spoke to the same crowd during a Republican rally against Trump in 2016, following the publication of his memoir Hillbilly Elegy. But after Vance’s political stance changed, several members of the group endorsed his opponents during Vance’s 2022 Senate bid.
The fact remains, however, that Vance, like Trump, could benefit from the support of the group and its members in the final few weeks before the Nov. 5 election. The duo is also working on raising more funds after that lagging behind Harris fundraising.
