"In most democracies, the election cycle lasts just a few weeks or months. In most democracies there are strict laws regulating how long politicians can campaign, and how much money political parties can accept. But the US is not most democracies. Which is why, despite the fact we're not even a full year into Trump 2.0, there's already chatter about 2028."
"His personality is one of them: Vance can come off as smug and obnoxious. But that's something he can work on. This is a man, after all, who has changed his name many times; a former atheist who converted to Catholicism in 2019, a few years before running for political office. A man who once called Donald Trump America's Hitler and now calls him boss. Vance is adept at shape-shifting."
"A liability that might be rather harder to shake off, however, is his ties to the shadowy $450bn technology company Palantir. Vance would not be where he is today were it not for the mentorship of Peter Thiel, the company's billionaire co-founder. Thiel encouraged the hiring of Vance at his investment firm Mithril Capital in 2016, then spent $15m on Vance's senate campaign. Some people see Vance as a sort of avatar for Thiel in the White House."
US elections run dramatically longer and costlier than in most democracies, where campaigns last weeks or months and funding and campaigning are tightly regulated. Early 2028 speculation already centers on JD Vance as a likely Republican heir apparent, with Donald Trump endorsing a Vance–Marco Rubio ticket and Rubio reportedly prepared to back Vance. Vance faces scrutiny as vice-president and would confront liabilities if he seeks the presidency. His personality can come across as smug, though he has repeatedly reinvented himself. A more difficult liability is his close connection to Peter Thiel and the $450bn tech firm Palantir, including Thiel’s mentorship and significant campaign funding.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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