JD Vance in 2017 said some Donald Trump supporters were racist

In recently revealed comments from 2017, JD Vance, Donald Trump's potential vice-presidential candidate for 2024, stated that "certain individuals who supported Trump may be motivated by racism in their vote for him".

Vance mentioned that race had a definite impact on the 2016 election. He believes that race will always be a factor in the United States. It is a consistent aspect of American society. Vance also stated that some individuals who supported Trump did so because of racist beliefs.

The comments were initially shared by Mother Jones.

In 2016, Trump emerged victorious in the election. Vance, who had previously served in the US Marines and later became a successful venture capitalist, gained recognition for his book Hillbilly Elegy. This bestselling memoir chronicled his upbringing in the Appalachian region and was believed to have predicted the strong support for Trump in the industrial states of the Rust Belt.

He used to be against Trump, but now Vance has shifted towards a conservative Republican stance. He is now a senator representing Ohio and has been chosen as Trump's running mate for the upcoming November election.

His introduction has been rocky. He is facing criticism for misogyny, such as referring to his opponents as "childless cat ladies". His previous disapproval of Trump, including labeling him as "America's Hitler", "cultural heroin", a "morally reprehensible human being", "a disaster", and a "bad man", has also been widely publicized.

Vance spoke about Trump and race in February 2017 at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics. He acknowledged that race played a part, but also suggested it was not the main factor in the election during the same conversation.

"I have always been hesitant to believe that the main motivator for Trump voters was racial fear or prejudice, mainly because I personally did not witness it," Vance stated.

I think what really inspired people to vote for Trump, both in the primary and the general election, was the focus on creating more employment opportunities.

"It's quite simple to only focus on the most controversial actions of Trump being constantly brought up."

When attending one of his rallies, only a small portion, around 5%, consists of him making shocking and offensive comments. The majority, approximately 95%, is dedicated to discussing the issues present in your community and explaining why they are problematic. Trump's main argument revolves around his promise to bring back jobs.

Vance believes that it would be strange to say that Trump's win in 2016 was only because of racism. He thinks that the US is less racist now than before and that racism wasn't the main reason people voted for Trump.

But he was worried about Trump's decision to stop Muslims from coming into the US, which was one of his initial and most debated actions as president.

Vance talked about his marriage to Usha Vance, a lawyer of Indian heritage, and the negative comments they received online on message boards and Twitter.

I believe that the discussion around race in this situation was different from what we have seen before, but I do not hold Trump's supporters responsible for it.

He said that the ones responsible were usually highly educated, elites living on the coast, such as Richard Spencer and the alt-right movement.

During the years 2016 and 2017, the term "alt-right" was used to describe a growing extreme right-wing presence in online discussions and networking.

Vance is now recognized as a prominent figure of the new right, characterized by Politico as "a diverse group of conservative thinkers, doers, and lawmakers", backed and influenced by conservative Silicon Valley individuals, who argue that liberalism has not succeeded and believe authoritarian tactics are necessary to achieve conservative goals.

In 2017, Vance commented that the "alt-right" was influenced by individuals who consider themselves elite thinkers in a unique sense. The journalist hosting him, Alex Kotlowitz, mentioned Trump's former campaign chair and White House strategist, asking, "Are you referring to Steve Bannon?"

Vance responded with a simple affirmation: "Yes, of course."