And not just of Trump -- Vance is a serial bootlicker. In 2016, when he wrote all those anti-Trump tweets, he undoubtedly thought he was ingratiating himself with the wing of the Republican Party that would emerge triumphant from the 2016 presidential election, because surely Trump couldn't win. That was just before Vance's move back to Ohio, which, to some of us, was an obvious sign that he was planning to run for office. By 2021, when he was on the verge of a Senate run, he went to Mar-a-Lago and kissed Trump's ring. And prior to all of this, he ingratiated himself with crackpot tech billionaire Peter Thiel, who'd go on to put massive amounts of money into his campaign. Before that, he insinuated himself into the Yale Law circle dominated by the politically connected Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld. If a high-powered person's boots need licking anywhere, Vance is your guy.
But the New York magazine headline implies that Trump is a pure alpha for whom bootlicking goes only one way. That's not really true. Here's a Politico headline from last month:
Trump keeps flip-flopping his policy positions after meeting with rich peopleExamples:
Donald Trump privately hinted at a shift in immigration policy at a Business Roundtable meeting last week. He told the group “we need brilliant people” in this country, according to one of the attendees, who was granted anonymity to describe a private meeting. And when he talked about finding ways to keep American-educated talent at home, some top CEOs, like Apple’s Tim Cook, were seen nodding their heads.Trump chose Elon Musk's preferred vice presidential candidate, and what do you know:
The public move came a week later: On “The All-In Podcast” on Thursday, Trump said foreign nationals who graduate from U.S. colleges and universities should “automatically” be given a green card upon graduation.
... Trump’s pivot on immigration followed his reversal on TikTok, embracing an app he once tried to ban, and his shift on cryptocurrency.
... there is ... plainly a pattern of Trump aligning his political stances with the views of wealthy donors and business interests.
Elon Musk has said he is planning to pledge about $45 million a month to a newly formed super PAC backing former President Donald Trump’s White House bid, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday....Trump is even licking the boots of an opposition candidate:
In a leaked video of Trump’s call w/ RFK Jr., Trump says he agrees w/ his anti-vax activism.
— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) July 16, 2024
“I agree with you, man. Something's wrong with that whole system...you see the baby all of a sudden starting to change radically. I've seen it too many times." pic.twitter.com/mmZkx7c9OW
What does Trump want? Kennedy's votes, obviously -- and possibly also Kennedy's running mate's money.
Even before the 2024 race started, Trump liked licking dictators' boots, as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un know. Trump even seems to like licking the boots of the "fake news" media. It's hard to read about Trump's 2020 discussion of COVID with Bob Woodward, for instance, without concluding that the most powerful man in the world was trying to impress the aging, past-his-prime journalist. See also Trump and Maggie Haberman.
So Trump was pleased when J.D. Vance prostrated himself before him. But in a way, they're two of a kind.
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