Wall Street Journal Opinion Page Criticizes Vice President JD Vance

The Wall Street Journal's opinion page has made an early case against Vice President JD Vance, who is seen as a potential heir to Donald Trump. In a series of recent columns, Journal opinion writers have criticized Vance for being too self-promoting and too eager to court Tucker Carlson. The columns were written by Kimberley Strassel and Allysia Finley, both members of the Journal's editorial board.

The criticism of Vance falls into several categories. Strassel wrote that Vance is putting his ambitions ahead of governing, citing his recent media tour to promote his bestselling book, 'Communion.' She also criticized Vance's personality, saying he is a 'sensitive bunny' who knows his 'national conservative' ambitions for the GOP aren't landing. Finley and an unsigned WSJ editorial criticized Vance's defense of the memorandum of understanding with Iran, calling it naive.

Vance's supporters have fired back at the criticism, saying he has been doing his job defending the MOU that his boss signed. They also note that the Journal's criticism helps Vance politically, showing he is in tune with the party's grassroots and not heeding the old guard. A top Vance ally told Axios that the Journal's criticism 'only sends the exact signal to our base that we want.'

The backdrop for the criticism is that many Republicans want Secretary of State Marco Rubio to run for president instead of Vance. Rubio has said he won't run, but some Republicans, including donor Ken Griffin, have expressed support for him over Vance.