(Photo : Getty Images/Steve Jennings)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 06: Greycroft Partner Ellie Wheeler (L) and Revolution's Rise of Rest Seed Fund Managing Partner J.D. Vance speak onstage during Day 2 of TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018 at Moscone Center on September 6, 2018 in San Francisco, California.
Author J.D. Vance, who is bidding for a Senate seat at the Ohio Republican race, addressed his since-deleted tweets criticizing former President Donald Trump. The venture capitalist and current outspoken Trump supporter has been accused of "flip-flopping" and hypocrisy after Andrew Kaczynski from CNN the previous week shared screenshots of the 2016 tweets in which Vance stated the former presidential candidate's comments on Muslims and immigrants among others were deplorable.
The bestselling writer of "Hillbilly Elegy" addressed his history of opposition towards Trump on Monday. Vance declared his candidacy to fill the retiring position of Ohio Senator Rob Portman the previous week. This mounted a populist-nationalist campaign in the spirit of the former president.
Vance Thinks Trump Was a Good President
According to Vance on a Monday interview, "Like a lot of people, I criticized Trump back in 2016. And I ask folks not to judge me based on what I said in 2016, because I've been very open that I did say those critical things and I regret them, and I regret being wrong about the guy. I think he was a good president, I think he made a lot of good decisions for people, and I think he took a lot of flak," reported The Hill.
The memoir author initiated his campaign last week. He was seared for deleting tweets from 2016 that were unearthed by Kaczynski, reported Politico.
Democrat Tim Ryan, who is also a candidate for the Ohio Senate seat, responded that he and Vance have one thing in common -- neither of them voted for the former president.
Vance added, "The most important thing, is not what you said five years ago, but whether you're willing to stand up and take the heat and take the hits for actually defending the interests of the American people," reported Axios.
The venture capitalist has the backing of conservative billionaire Peter Thiel and Tucker Carlson from Fox News. Vance recently visited Florida's Mar-a-Lago to bid for the former president's yearned primary endorsement.
For the past few years, Vance has taken on a pro-Trump stance. However, contenders in the crowded Republican field had been expected to condemn his previous criticism of Trump.
A recent column in Daily Beast had the headline "Hypocrite's Elegy: J.D. Vance Is an Avatar of GOP Corruption." Vance hoped that the public would not denounce him for his previous remarks.
JD Vance deleted his tweet about voting for Evan McMullin.
— Andy Kaczynski (@KFILE) July 1, 2021
It was here: https://t.co/4k1Xk8AMgv
But still can be viewed on the WebArchive.https://t.co/uLcCLkbur3 pic.twitter.com/LNofBemmsL
Vance once told Daily Best columnist Matt Lewis that the former president provided the white working class an excuse not to look inward and not to ask tough questions regarding themselves and their communities. He has done a public about-face regarding his feelings on the estranging Trump since he first started exploring a bid for the Senate.
He added that he himself had been denounced for standing up for Trump's agenda and voters.
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