A report from the New York Times reveals that Donald Trump was surprised by the massive backlash against his running mate choice, J.D. Vance.
Vance, Trump's choice for V.P., has made history, but not in the way any politician would want to. According to an average of polls, the Ohio senator is the least popular running mate ever.
Donald Trump is very aware of how both he and those around him are perceived. So one may think he was none to happy to see just how Vance was received. The Times' Michael Bender wrote:
"The volume and velocity of attacks from Democrats stunned even Mr. Trump. He was unaware of the most incendiary remarks that opponents were rapidly unearthing from Mr. Vance’s past, and the former president told allies that he was troubled by the idea that more comments would come to light as Democrats savaged his heir apparent as weird and anti-women."
Despite the angry reaction to Vance and the fact that he has been a negative for the campaign, Trump is reportedly happy with the way he has performed. Bender continued, "Mr. Trump had instructed his young sidekick to fight forcefully through those initial attacks, and later said Mr. Vance’s execution exceeded his expectations, according to three allies who insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations."