The liberal media is clearly trying to divide the Trump Administration. It won’t work.
Vice President J.D. Vance’s political past is back in the liberal media spotlight after a new report detailed an alleged effort by Vance to pass strategic advice to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign during the 2016 election, when he was still an outspoken critic of Donald Trump.
The episode occurred years before Vance became one of Trump’s most prominent political allies and eventually his vice president.
According to a September 16 Vanity Fair profile, a former Clinton campaign operative recalled Vance seeking access to senior Clinton adviser Jake Sullivan because Vance believed Trump could defeat Clinton unless her campaign changed course.
The report adds another chapter to Vance’s well-documented transformation from a Trump critic in 2016 to a leading figure in the Trump administration today.
Report Details Vance’s 2016 Outreach
According to the account published by Vanity Fair, Vance repeatedly asked a Clinton campaign operative to connect him with Sullivan.
The operative recalled Vance making clear that he strongly disliked Clinton politically but opposed Trump even more at the time.
Vance reportedly believed Clinton was in danger of losing because her campaign was failing to connect with working-class voters across the industrial Midwest.
His proposed solution was straightforward: spend more time in Rust Belt communities and speak directly to voters who felt ignored by national political leaders.
Vance Reportedly Warned Clinton About the Rust Belt
Vance reportedly encouraged Clinton to campaign more aggressively in Midwestern battleground states and address her 2002 Senate vote authorizing military force against Iraq.
According to the former campaign operative, Vance believed Clinton should personally acknowledge the sacrifices made by military families in communities like those he knew in Ohio.
The argument reflected an issue that had already become central to Vance’s public identity.
His bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, brought national attention to economic hardship, cultural change and declining opportunity in working-class communities across parts of Ohio, Kentucky and Appalachia.
The Clinton campaign ultimately did not adopt the approach attributed to Vance in the report.
Trump Won Several Key Midwestern States
Donald Trump went on to defeat Clinton in the 2016 presidential election after winning several important Midwestern and Rust Belt states, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The official Electoral College count was 304 votes for Trump and 227 for Clinton, according to the National Archives.
Those states became a major part of the post-election debate over why Clinton lost.
Vance’s reported warning is therefore receiving renewed attention because it focused on precisely the type of working-class voters and Midwestern communities that became central to Trump’s successful 2016 campaign.
Vance Was Once an Outspoken Trump Critic
Vance’s opposition to Trump during the 2016 campaign has been publicly documented for years.
Reuters previously reported that Vance called Trump “reprehensible” and privately wondered in a message whether Trump could become “America’s Hitler.” Vance later said his views changed after watching Trump govern and interacting with him personally.
Vance also did not vote for either Trump or Clinton in 2016. He supported independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin instead.
His political trajectory changed significantly in the years that followed.
Vance eventually became a supporter of Trump’s populist political agenda and won election to the U.S. Senate from Ohio in 2022 with Trump’s endorsement.
Trump then selected Vance as his running mate in 2024.
Vance’s Team Disputes Clinton Campaign Characterization
Vance’s representatives have pushed back against the suggestion that his 2016 conversations amounted to an attempt to elect Hillary Clinton.
According to Vanity Fair, spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk said Vance was approached by people from across the political spectrum during that period because of his knowledge of working-class communities.
The spokesperson said Vance consistently encouraged Republicans and Democrats alike to pay closer attention to towns such as Middletown, Ohio.
Vance’s team specifically rejected the characterization that his goal was to help Clinton win the presidency.
That distinction matters.
The report describes Vance offering political advice that potentially could have benefited Clinton, but it does not establish that he formally joined Clinton’s campaign, worked for the Democratic Party or endorsed Clinton for president.
Jake Sullivan Source Offers Different Recollection
The Vanity Fair report also included a somewhat different account from someone close to Jake Sullivan.
That source said Sullivan did not remember Vance specifically urging Clinton to apologize over the Iraq War.
However, the source reportedly remembered conversations with Vance about Clinton’s controversial “basket of deplorables” remark concerning some Trump supporters.
The competing recollections mean some details of the nearly decade-old conversation remain disputed.
What is well established is that Vance was publicly opposed to Trump during that period.
From Trump Critic to Vice President
Vance’s political transformation has become one of the most closely examined aspects of his national career.
In 2016, he frequently criticized Trump and questioned whether Trump was the right leader for the Republican Party.
Years later, Vance became a vocal defender of Trump’s political agenda.
His rise accelerated after his election to the Senate, and Trump’s decision to select him as his 2024 running mate placed Vance near the center of the Republican Party.
Today, he serves as vice president.
Reuters has described the change as a shift from a prominent “Never Trump” critic to one of Trump’s leading political allies.
Why the 2016 Story Matters Now
The renewed attention comes at a politically significant moment for Vance.
As vice president, he has become one of the administration’s most visible representatives and an important voice on immigration, trade, foreign policy and the economy.
That higher profile has also brought renewed scrutiny of statements he made before aligning himself with Trump.
For longtime Republican voters who followed the 2016 election closely, the contrast is considerable: the same politician who once warned against a Trump presidency now serves directly alongside him in the White House.
At the same time, Vance has publicly explained that his opinion of Trump changed over time.
Political figures changing their positions is hardly unusual, but Vance’s shift has attracted particular attention because of how strongly he criticized Trump during the 2016 campaign.
Vance and the Republican Party’s Future
Vance’s position as vice president has also fueled continuing discussion about his long-term role in Republican politics.
Any 2028 presidential contest remains well in the future, and the Republican Party has not selected a nominee.
For now, the immediate political focus is the 2026 midterm election and the fight for control of Congress.
Still, Vance’s growing national profile means his earlier statements and political relationships are likely to remain subjects of public interest.
The Bottom Line
The newly reported episode does not show that Vance officially worked for Hillary Clinton or joined her presidential campaign.
Instead, it describes a period in 2016 when Vance strongly opposed Trump and, according to a former Clinton campaign operative, attempted to give Clinton’s team advice that he believed could prevent Trump from winning.
Vance’s representatives dispute the suggestion that his goal was to elect Clinton, arguing that he was encouraging politicians from both parties to pay greater attention to working-class communities.
What is not disputed is the larger political transformation.
Vance went from being one of Trump’s outspoken Republican critics during the 2016 election to becoming his running mate eight years later and ultimately serving as vice president.
That history is what makes the newly reported conversation notable nearly a decade later.