JD Vance's 'weird moment' involving demons leads analyst to say VP's plan is 'faltering'

Vice President JD Vance is making an effort to win over the Christian right but appears to be failing at his task, a political analyst has claimed.

Vance appears set on winning over the Christian conservatives across the country and is rolling out stories of demon belief, but his plan may fall well short of expectations, according to Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte. "Even for JD Vance, it was a weird moment," Marcotte wrote of his recent Benny Johnson podcast appearance.

Johnson, a MAGA supporter and person tied to Turning Point USA, hosted Vance, who went on to speak about his belief of demons and the Devil. Marcotte suggested Vance's appearance had been a failed attempt at replicating the success former President Barack Obama had when interviewed about aliens earlier this year.

Marcotte added, "The clip is worth watching, and not just to marvel yet again at Vance’s ability to make idiotic statements in the self-assured tone of the smartest boy in the room.

"The entire exchange feels rehearsed, even though it’s clear Vance is hoping to channel some of that off-the-cuff energy that made Obama’s chat with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen so entertaining. Vance, though, is clearly incapable of such a spontaneous response."

Despite Vance's best efforts on the podcast to "tap into the same love of spookiness that draws people to horror films," it does not appear the Vice President achieved his goal.

"A key part of the vice president’s outreach strategy as he gears up for a presidential run in 2028 evidently depends heavily on youth outreach via the 'bro' podcasts, which have cultivated a young male audience while aspiring to comedy — and a whole lot of sexism," Marcotte wrote. "Vance has been faltering in those efforts, though, because he can’t maintain his already-fragile alpha image while capping for Trump on the Iran war."

"By claiming to believe in demons, the vice president is leeching onto another youth trend, and probably getting a hefty boost in social media algorithms for it. The good news is probably won’t work for him, since Satan himself couldn’t grant Vance more charisma."