Donald Trump, JD Vance unfit for office as long as getting friendly with QAnon is OK

Akron Beacon Journal Editorial Board

September 25, 2022 at 6:02 AM·4 min read

A whole host of organizations and politicians have endorsed J.D. Vance for U.S. Senate.

And why not? He’s a Republican. He’s well-educated and a Marine veteran. He tells a compelling story about overcoming a troubled background to become a successful businessman, husband and father.

So, of course, all of Ohio’s statewide officials and many prominent names and groups have backed him.

We just wish there was something extra. There should be a desire to restore sanity to the Republican Party and bolster democracy. But we don’t see the “Hillbilly Elegy” author leading that charge.

Donald Trump’s campaign for Vance took a weird turn at a Youngstown rally Sept. 17.

Media reports say many rallygoers appeared to give the former president the QAnon salute as music played that resembled the shadowy conspiracy group’s theme song that means “Where We Go 1, We Go All.”

Trump also left critics laughing when he got around to talking about Vance after an hour of speechmaking. In a mocking voice, because he was denouncing a New York Times report about rally plans, he said, "J.D. is kissing my ass, he wants my support so bad."

Trump acknowledged Vance used to criticize him, “but that was before he knew me and then he fell in love.” Just like Kim Jong-un did, Trump said.

Yes, seven months into Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Trump is still joking about North Korea — now suspected of sending arms to Russia. (Vance, meanwhile, remains unmoved by the tragedy in Ukraine, saying this month the U.S. should stop funding its defense.)

At the rally, Vance knocked opponent Tim Ryan, urged the hiring of Border Patrol agents and endorsed a return to Trump policies. Vance lamented the crime, high prices and border problems that he says are the consequences of policies supported by President Joe Biden and Ryan.

Talking point:Ohio Republicans say secure border will curb overdoses, but drug crisis is complicated

His remarks were certainly not as fiery as those of one of the introductory speakers, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who encouraged boos for top Democrats and progressive topics like the Green New Deal and gender-affirming care, while getting cheers for defending “the greatest president this country has ever had.”

This “greatest” president — the one currently under investigation for taking classified documents, inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection and meddling in the Georgia election count — hardly deserves applause and warm and fuzzy accolades.

But Trump’s endorsement is most certainly what led Vance to beat six others in the primary. Among Republicans, 66% said this month they would like to see Trump run in 2024 — numbers have slipped, but Trump’s popularity is real.

As such, this country is in danger.

Trump continues to insist, as he did at the Youngstown rally, that he won the 2020 election. Some 70% of Republicans adhere to this line, insisting Biden was not the legitimate winner, polls show.

Where does that leave this country, if we can’t agree on basic facts, regardless of party? Democracy fails when the public doesn’t believe elections are secure and fair.

Certainly, we can agree that the United States needs sensible immigration policies and a secure border. And it’s understandable that the public is blaming Biden and the Democrats for high prices and inflation, even though countries around the world are having the same or worse problems amid the Russia-Ukraine war, COVID-related shortages and droughts.

Disagreements on the state of the economy are normal. But Trump's seeming embrace of QAnon, where he is regarded as “hero and savior” while mainstream politicians are demonized, is disturbing.

Politicians need to work together on solutions, rather than whipping up fears and passing on conspiracy theories.

We’d love to see Vance debate Ryan and so would you — a poll shows 84% of Ohioans want to see candidates for governor and U.S. Senate debate.

Besides inflation/the economy and “threats to democracy,” a USA TODAY Network Ohio/Suffolk University poll shows abortion, schools and health care are all among Ohioans’ top concerns.

Vance, however, turned down the Ohio Debate Commission's invitation. Ryan accepted.

Apparently, the Trump show is more Vance’s style. Love is blind, after all.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: JD Vance overly attached to QAnon curious Donald Trump

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