Journalist and author Jonathan V. Last has said that Vice President JD Vance is attempting to "inherit" the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement from President Donald Trump, but he is destined to fail in that effort.
In an article for The Bulwarkpublished Tuesday, Last wrote: "JD Vance is going to fail in his quest to inherit MAGA from Donald Trump."
Last likened Vance to the retired World Wrestling Federation (WWF) wrestler "The Honky Tonk Man."
READ MORE: Family friend claims Trump 'devolved' into an 'arrogant adult' with a 'cruel streak': report
"Just like Honky Tonk, Vance has never been able to overcome his intrinsic limitations. He’s smug and inauthentic; self-involved and utterly humorless. As good as he is in a room with VC funders or Claremont groupies, he seems to have no idea how to act around normal human beings," the author said.
"There’s a dark irony in Vance using Ross NeverTrump(?) Douthat and the woke New York Times as a vehicle for shoring up his position as the heir to MAGA. But also, it’s a revealing choice. Where Trump used Breitbart and Alex Jones to take over the Republican party by winning over the great unwashed, Vance has decided that his base is the conservative nomenklatura and that he can cement his claim to the throne with the support of Ross Douthat, Rod Dreher, and Peter Thiel," Last continued.
Last noted that in the realm of politics, success often hinges on two distinct strategies: winning over the public and navigating elite power structures.
One strategy relies, the author argued, on energizing the masses — mobilizing widespread public opinion to gain influence. The other is more behind-the-scenes, focused on building alliances and leveraging institutional power among political insiders, he added.
READ MORE: 'This is a disgrace': Trump ripped for 'outrageous' and 'divisive' Memorial Day diatribe
Last argued that Trump and Mitch McConnell stand as emblematic figures of these contrasting approaches: Trump thrives on populist momentum, while McConnell excels at maneuvering within the corridors of power.
Earlier this month, Trump suggested in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that national security adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance — in that order — could be potential leaders of the MAGA movement.
When host Kristen Welker asked how he envisions the MAGA movement enduring beyond his presidency, the president responded: “You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who’s fantastic,” adding, “You look at — I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now just sitting here.”
READ MORE: 'Covering for him': MAGA ignites new 'scandal' as it ignores Trump’s 'bizarre' behavior