How much effect does a poor VP choice have in the campaign? Trump might find out

When asked if picking JD Vance as a running was a mistake, former President Donald Trump said that VP choices rarely affect a presidential candidate's chances.

Mr. Trump was not wrong. According to the NY Times, data shows that people tend to vote for the presidential candidate, not their partner. However, some analysts point out that this election might be different.

New Republic's Alex Shepard surfaced fundamental discussions Republicans should be having. Mr. Trump is not the same candidate who won the 2016 elections; he lacks stamina.

In the days since President Biden dropped out of the race, Trump has had a series of bizarre moments. He has struggled to regain momentum; in that context, JD Vance should support him.

However, Vance has proven himself to be the opposite. He has brought the wrong kind of attention to the Trump campaign, highlighting the former president's most unappealing traits.

Perhaps his most famous mishap was an old video from an interview with then-Fox anchor Tucker Carlson, in which he called Democrat women "childless cat ladies."

Still, that was not the only scandal: his call for giving parents more voting rights than Americans with no children was mocked by Democrat lawmakers as "weird."

His proposal to raise taxes on those without kids also offended some Republicans. According to the NY Times, Dave Portnoy, one of the internet's most prominent Trump supporters complained about it.

A week after his nomination, Vance trended on X for all the wrong reasons: a tweet with a false quote from his 2016 memoir 'Hillbilly Elegy' claimed he had intercourse with a couch.

According to the NY Times, the Harris campaign resurfaced most of Vance's videos and quotes. Officials told the newspaper that they were responsible for around 60%.

However, JD Vance has lifted some specific doubts that other candidates wouldn't have, and his participation in the campaign has been underwhelming.

One of Vance's viral clips was from a rally after he was chosen as VP candidate. He attempted a joke about Democrats perceiving everything as racist but ended up bumbling about diet Mountain Dew.

According to CNN, GOP voters are not so sure about Vance either: his favorability rating immediately after the nomination was -6. The average for a new VP nominee has been +19 since 2000.

Aside from the viral videos and internet myths, the VP candidate has endorsed extremist books that say democracy is not the answer in a fight against "unhuman" liberals. He is also young and inexperienced.

In fact, according to NBC News' recount of how the former president chose Vance, his first choice was North Dakota governor Doug Burgum.

Burgum's milder personality wouldn't have overtaken the presidential candidate's spotlight. He would have also moderated the image of the former Presidents to independent voters.

According to the outlet, Mr. Trump consulted with his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who fiercely opposed Mr. Burgum and insisted on Vance. They ultimately changed their father's mind.