JD Vance didn’t take kindly to being referred to as an “intellectual” during a black-tie event in Washington, D.C., jokingly telling the host he was an “a-----e” for doing so.
The vice president was the special guest at a gala hosted by American Compass on Tuesday and was interviewed on stage by the conservative think tank’s founder, Oren Cass.
The interview kicked off with Cass suggesting that, unlike other politicians, the Hillbilly Elegy author and Yale Law graduate is more of an “intellectual” who can hold his own in a debate.
“Some people don’t like the word intellectual, but I mean it in a good sense of the term. You were writing for National Review. You were at the bar late at night, arguing about and helping shape these ideas…”
Vance then interrupted Cass to let him know he wasn’t exactly pleased with the description.
“I come here for free, and you insult me, you call me an intellectual, remind me that I wrote for National Review,” Vance said. “What an a-----e this guy is,” he added, prompting laughter from the crowd.
There’s a valid reason why Vance wouldn’t like to be reminded that he previously wrote for National Review.
The influential conservative magazine has long been a staunch critic of President Donald Trump, dating back several years.
This includes publishing an entire issue, simply titled “Against Trump,” in January 2016 filled with essays attackingTrump and urging voters not to back him in that year’s GOP primary.
MAGA figures bristle at the magazine’s ideology, which is in stark contrast to the brash, populist GOP as it’s been reshaped under Trump.
Another person who was vocally opposed to Trump’s 2016 presidential run was, of course, Vance himself, even going as far as to describe him as “America’s Hitler.”
Vance also went on record as a “‘Never Trump’ guy,” saying in social media posts and interviews from 2016 that he had “never liked him,” before bending the knee after Trump’s election as president.
Following the interruption, Cass was quick to assure Vance that he meant being “intellectual” was a good thing, and admitting that he also wrote for the National Review.
“As I said in my introductory remarks earlier, I have no higher compliment than ‘this guy likes to argue,’” Cass said.
“It’s a wonderful thing, and I think it really distinguishes you as someone who not just cares about and believes in these ideas, but has formed them.”
