Donald Trump Believes J.D. Vance Can Be His VP Running Mate Because His Beard 'Looks Good'
Donald Trump has weighed in on a hairy situation. According to the former president, J.D. Vance's beard is can benefit him for being chosen as a running mate. Vance, an Ohio senator, is on Trump's list of vice presidential candidates. There were rumors that Trump didn't like Vance's facial hair as he is known to dislike beards. This led to speculation that Vance's beard could hurt his chances. Trump cleared the air in a radio interview saying to host Brian Kilmeade that Vance's beard isn't a problem. In fact, Trump had kind words for Vance's look. He said the senator "looks good ... like a young Abraham Lincoln."
The beard talk started when a Trump source spoke to The Bulwark website, "J.D. has a beard. But Trump is a clean-shaven guy. He just doesn’t like facial hair." This source supports Vance but worries the beard could be an issue. They added, "You just never know" with Trump. Another source said Vance looks very young without his beard, "Without the beard, Vance looks like he’s 12" clean-shaven. Vance will turn 40 in August. When Kilmeade asked if the beard rumors were true, Trump gave a firm "No." He didn't elaborate much on Vance after that but he did push back on Kilmeade, saying, "Right? He’s a handsome man. Nah, he's a nice guy," as per HuffPost.
Not a worthy business partner. “Unfit” for the White House. “Con artist.”
— Shalomadamis (@shalomadamis) July 10, 2024
These are not the words of Democrats attacking Donald Trump, but comments from three Republicans Trump has considered to be his running mate. Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who have
Marc Caputo, who wrote about the beard issue, believes the fact that it is being debated "is a tell." It suggests that Vance is a serious candidate. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Florida Senator Marco Rubio are also on Trump's shortlist for vice president. The thing to remember is that both of them are clean-shaved. Trump indicated he'll make his decision close to the Republican conference next week. In the conversation, Trump did bring up some faults with other contenders. He said picking Rubio would be "complicated" because they're both from Florida. He further added, "No, but it does make it more complicated … There are people that don't have that complication."
For Burgum, Trump said abortion could be "a little bit of an issue." Burgum signed a strict six-week abortion ban in North Dakota. Trump seemed to think this stance might be too extreme as he said, "Well, it's a little bit of an issue. It's a pretty strong ban. You know, I think Doug is great, but it is a strong ban. He's taken a very strong stance. Or the state has, I don't know if it's Doug, but the state has, so it's an issue."
The endorsement is in: Donald Trump likes J.D. Vance’s beard. https://t.co/Fwu0qc15BE
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) July 10, 2024
Trump didn't share these kinds of concerns about Vance. This could be a good sign for the Ohio senator's chances. However, Trump is known for keeping people guessing as he said he'd "love" to wait until the convention to reveal his choice. "I would love to do it, the, you know, it used to be picked during the convention … it made the convention, frankly, more interesting," he stated, as per ABC News.
