Today, Explained JD Vance is just getting started
130 snips
Dec 18, 2025 
Ian Ward, a Politico reporter focused on national politics and the conservative movement, dives deep into the evolving role of Vice President J.D. Vance. He discusses Vance's savvy use of memes to connect with younger conservatives and his bold stances on international policy, including a dramatic confrontation with Zelensky. Ward also highlights Vance’s balancing act with his multicultural family amid base tensions, and his 2028 ambitions as he seeks to unify diverse factions within the GOP.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Memes As Political Signaling
- J.D. Vance intentionally embraces online memes to signal cultural fluency with younger conservatives.
- Ian Ward says this helps Vance appear inside the "engine room" of the right rather than boomer-coded aloofness.
Early Power Moves In Office
- Vance was tapped early to shepherd controversial nominees and to give disruptive speeches abroad.
- Ward says those moves showed he's willing to upend perceived status quos on foreign policy and tech.
Oval Office Confrontation With Zelensky
- At an Oval Office meeting, Vance joined Trump in berating Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky over perceived freeloading.
- Ward frames Vance's view as resentment that European security burdens fall on working-class Americans.