Maggie Haberman Says Donald Trump is 'Perfectly Happy' With JD Vance's Role as an 'Attack Dog'

Maggie Haberman, a reporter for the New York Times, shared her take on what the Trump campaign thinks. This comes after some recent controversy about JD Vance, who’s running alongside Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race. Haberman thinks the former president is happy with Vance’s efforts even though there seem to be some contradictions. Vance recently drew attention for criticizing Democrats' use of the term "fascist" to describe Trump. He argued that such language could incite violence. "We cannot tell the American people that one candidate is a fascist, and if he's elected, it is gonna be the end of American democracy," Vance stated.

This stance seemed at odds with Trump's own rhetoric. The former president has frequently used similar terms to describe his political opponents. Haberman dismissed concerns about coordination between Vance and the Trump campaign when asked about this apparent disconnect on CNN's AC360. "I don't think the Trump campaign is unhappy at all with what JD Vance is saying," she told host Anderson Cooper. "I think that we have seen for a long time that when Trump is called something, he tends to say it back to whoever has said it to him." Haberman elaborated on Vance's role within the campaign and said, "I think that the Trump campaign is perfectly happy with the role that JD Vance is playing as an attack dog. If they were not, he would not continue doing it," as per Mediaite.

The discussion arose in the context of a second apparent assassination attempt on Trump. Vance has intensified his criticism of Democrats and claimed their rhetoric against Trump is "going to get somebody killed." He urged Democratic leaders to moderate their language, "Tell Kamala Harris, tell Joe Biden, tell all of her surrogates who are saying things like 'Donald Trump needs to be eliminated,' they need to cut that crap out or they are gonna get somebody hurt." Vance acknowledged that inflammatory rhetoric comes from both sides of the political aisle. He then emphasized, "What is one-sided is that our guy is the one who keeps getting shot at."

Haberman's analysis suggests that the campaign sees value in Vance's aggressive stance. This includes his promotion of controversial theories such as the claim about Haitian immigrants eating their pets in Ohio. Haberman said, "That gets to a topic of immigration, which is what they want to be talking about." Haberman also observed that Trump is trying to "project complete strength" and portray himself as "somebody who can live through anything." 

She then added, "I don't think his campaign feels especially solid right now, security-wise." Haberman revealed that Trump met with the acting head of the Secret Service. This meeting was held to discuss security concerns and whether he could continue his golfing sessions. The Secret Service indicated that additional resources would be needed to ensure his safety during such activities, as per Raw Story.