Trump donors on the brink of civil war over JD Vance as vice president

Senator JD Vance of Ohio has gone from critic of Donald Trump to a serious candidate for the Republican vice presidential nomination, but he may not quite live up to expectations due to some risk-averse GOP donors.

Ironically, at least for now, given Trump’s well-documented aversion to facial hair, the bearded 39-year-old author from an Ivy League university may end up falling into his own trap. The best thing Vance has in running for Trump may also be his undoing as a potential running mate – some donors are afraid of him.

The same coastal elites who once idolized Vance are now trying to sabotage his vice presidential ambitions, according to three Republicans familiar with the vice presidential race who spoke to The Daily Beast. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to relay private conversations among donors that are the most secret discussions in Trump world.

By most accounts, Vance’s two main rivals are likely to benefit: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, whom Trump has a soft spot for because his resemblance to the U.S. Founding Father makes him a natural fit for the job, and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, whom sources describe as a “safe option.”

“Donors have really rallied around Burgum and Rubio,” a Republican strategist who has been in contact with donors for months about the Trump running mate told The Daily Beast. Vance, on the other hand, “hasn’t done anything significant in the eyes of some of the more traditional big Republican donors.” “He just went to Fox.”

Ohio has produced eight presidents and three vice presidents in the country’s history, but long-simmering grievances among Trump donors could pull the rug out from under Vance, The Daily Beast has learned.

But there is another, more dangerous, stick that donors have been quietly trying to throw to slow Vance’s chances of finishing second on the Republican presidential ticket.

One of Trump’s co-campaign managers is seen among donors as someone who favors Vance, two sources familiar with the discussions say.

“The person who has had some outside influence here is Susie Wiles,” the same GOP strategist said, based on conversations with donors, “and she definitely wants Vance. Vance is like her little pet.”

Vance’s team did not respond to a request for comment, and neither did Wiles. Wiles is a Palm Beach-based Republican political operative who was exiled by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2019 and is widely credited in the Trump world with the more buttoned-up tactical approach to the 2024 campaign.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung denied that Wiles was in any way involved in the vice presidential election.

“Susie and the rest of the campaign team never attempted to influence the vice presidential selection,” Cheung said in an email, then reiterated that the vice presidential decision “rests solely with President Trump and he will make the decision at the place and time of his choosing.”

Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Cheung also described “anyone who thinks differently” as “obviously out of touch and has no idea what’s really going on.” He also described Republicans who are in contact with donors as “freeloaders” who “do nothing but feed on drama and fake news because they need to distance themselves from their sad, miserable existence.”

The big announcement is expected sometime in the days immediately before or during the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to begin Monday in Milwaukee.

Aside from Vance’s “realistic” foreign policy views, as his supporters call him – which upend Trump’s isolationism – a group of foreign policy-focused donors were already worried about Vance compared to Rubio, as The Daily Beast reported in May.

According to Trumpworld sources who have spoken to The Daily Beast about the vice presidential election in recent weeks, Burgum remains the favorite ahead of the party convention.

More recently, the concerns of Vance’s so-called smart money supporters have shifted from foreign policy to other areas.

Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images

“JD Vance is a guy who wrote a book and was on a Netflix show,” the strategist said. The source said donors’ most common concerns about Vance are his lack of Senate experience – just two years – as well as his lack of business experience.

However, Vance gained initial experience in corporate law and, from 2017, in the venture capital sector under the guardianship of conservative billionaire Peter Thiel.

Then there is an often overlooked data point from his victory in the 2022 midterm elections.

Despite holding a fairly comfortable 7-point lead over former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) in the increasingly Republican Buckeye State, Vance underperformed Republican Gov. Mike DeWine by nearly 10 percentage points in the 2022 combined election.

When it comes to one type of donor, “not only does he lack experience … there were a lot of DeWine-Ryan voters who didn’t want JD Vance,” said the strategist, who relayed the concerns to Vance.

That electorate is replicable in key swing states, especially the Rust Belt, the strategist and others told The Daily Beast. And in an election with so much at stake, that’s a risk the smart donors won’t take.

Among Republicans, Vance has emerged as the clear favorite and is seen by some as the future of the MAGA movement.

He also enjoys the support of other major donors.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Silicon Valley billionaire and former Ron DeSantis supporter David Sacks said during the opening speech of a The California fundraiser said the soirée “would not have happened” without Vance, who worked to persuade Sacks to support Trump.

The flattering remarks were seen in Trumpworld as a big hit in his column. Vance has also hosted several fundraisers for Trump, including a big-money one in Cincinnati in May and a smaller one in Cleveland.

But Burgum’s rise continued – his own net worth is estimated at $100 million and he has built strong relationships during his career in the software business – and he initially became an unexpected favorite among the Republican Party’s high-ranking donors.

“Burgum makes the most sense to me,” the GOP strategist said.

Burgum’s team did not respond to a request for comment.

However, those who spoke to The Daily Beast for this article acknowledged that the influence of donors is diminishing by the day as Trump’s convention approaches.

Another Trump aide said: “At this point, I believe the Republican donor class wants a Republican president more than anything else.”