Qin Peng’s Observation: First Interview After Attack, Trump Chooses Vance as Partner

Audience friends, hello everyone, welcome to “Qin Peng Observation”.

Today’s focus: Trump’s first interview after the assassination attempt, he jokingly said “I shouldn’t be here”, and revealed a lot of firsthand information.

On Monday, Trump’s running mate, the Republican vice presidential candidate, is finally confirmed! The whole process is comparable to a soap opera “The Apprentice”. Who is the 39-year-old Senator Vance, and why did Trump choose him based on four reasons? Let’s explore together today!

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People often say that everything is trivial when faced with life and death. Just this past weekend, former President Trump experienced such a moment. This incident caused a significant change in him.

On Monday, on a private plane flying to Wisconsin to attend the Republican National Convention, Trump was sometimes grateful and sometimes indifferent. He recalled the tragic moment at the rally in Pennsylvania, that “very surreal experience,” telling the New York Post, “I should be dead.”

“The doctors at the hospital said they had never seen anything like it. They call it a miracle,” Trump said, with a large, loose white bandage wrapping around his right ear. His staff insisted on not allowing reporters to take photos, so we couldn’t see the pictures.

“I shouldn’t be here, I should be dead,” Trump said. “I should already be dead.”

Trump said that if he hadn’t turned slightly to the right to read the chart about illegal immigrants, he would have been dead. And at that moment he turned his head, a potentially fatal shot tore off a small piece of his ear, splashing blood on his forehead and cheeks.

Trump was surprised because at that moment his Secret Service agents aggressively tackled him like American football defenders throwing themselves at him, pressing him to the ground, causing him some minor injuries. He unbuttoned the sleeve of his white shirt, revealing a large bruise on his right forearm.

Trump said that when the Secret Service agents escorted him off the stage, he still wanted to continue talking to the supporters, but they told him it wasn’t safe, and had to take him to the hospital.

He praised the bravery of the Secret Service personnel and commended them for shooting down the gunman who was lying on the roof about 130 yards from Trump’s podium.

“They shot him between the eyes,” Trump pointed to his nose, “They did an excellent job,” “It’s surreal for all of us.”

Trump also mentioned the iconic photo. When the Secret Service agents tried to get him into an armored SUV, he raised his fist and said “Fight” three times.

“Many people say it’s the most iconic picture they’ve ever seen,” Trump said, “They’re right, I didn’t die. Usually, you have to die to have an iconic picture. He said, “I just wanted to keep talking, but I was shot.”

Trump recalled that the doctors at the hospital with a trauma center told him they had never seen anyone survive a hit from an AR-15.

Trump also told reporters that he is ready to attend the funeral of Corey Comperatore, a volunteer fire captain in the town, who lost his life trying to protect his family from the shooter.

On Sunday, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said, “At last night’s gathering, Corey jumped on his family to protect them.” He said he directed that the flag be lowered to half-staff to mourn Comperatore.

In yesterday’s show, I also mentioned that the Trump team authorized the setting up of a donation webpage for the shooting victims, which has raised over $4.3 million.

During the entire flight on the plane, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina spent most of the time conversing with Trump and found his optimistic mood “incredible.” “He feels he has been given a new lease on life,” Graham said.

Having experienced a life-and-death test, Trump, who narrowly escaped death, has indeed changed his perspective.

“I had prepared a very tough speech, fantastic, all about corruption, terrible government. But I threw it away,” he said.

Trump said he is brewing a new speech because “I want to work hard to unite our country.” He said, raising his arms, “But I don’t know if it’s possible. People have huge divisions.”

He also thanked President Biden for calling him and described him as “nice” and “very friendly.” He said that from now on, their election campaigns between each other can be more civilized, but did not provide specific details.

Trump also said, “We heard” that Biden will order the Justice Department to drop the two indictments against him. However, there are no public signs indicating this so far.

On Monday, Judge Aileen Cannon of Florida dismissed the indictment in Trump’s file of classified documents. She issued a 93-page opinion, citing that the appointment of special prosecutor Jack Smith by the Justice Department to oversee this case violated the Constitution.

Some legal experts say this is a “well-founded” opinion, eliminating the Republican Party’s “biggest legal threat” to the 2024 GOP before the national convention. However, opponents also believe that this breaks a decades-long judicial tradition. The Justice Department is expected to appeal.

Jonathan Turley, defense attorney and law professor at George Washington University, told Fox News on Monday, “Of all the cases that could have been dismissed, this is the main one. It’s the biggest threat. For now, at least, it’s gone.”

On the afternoon of July 5th, Trump revealed his vice presidential candidate, 39-year-old federal senator JD Vance.

Vance was once one of Trump’s most vocal critics, saying in 2016 that he would “never support Trump” and questioning if Trump was “America’s Hitler.” He began to change his views in 2018, supported Trump in 2020, and apologized for his previous criticism. With Trump’s support in 2021, he began to run for senator as a political novice and was successfully elected.

On “Truth Social”, Trump explained why he chose Vance:

“After long deliberation and consideration of many other highly competent individuals, I have decided that the most suitable person to serve as Vice President of the United States is Senator JD Vance of Ohio. JD honorably served our country in the Marine Corps, graduated with honors from Ohio State University two years later, is a graduate of Yale Law School, and served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal and chairman of the Yale Law Veterans Association. JD’s book ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ became a major bestseller and movie because it supported the hardworking men and women of our country. JD has had a very successful career in technology and finance fields, and now, during the campaign, he will focus on the people he fights for, the workers and farmers of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and American workers and farmers.”

This choice is dramatic because Trump’s choice of running mate has been a rollercoaster ride, much like his famous TV show “The Apprentice”. Many initially thought Trump would choose a woman or a minority, but recently, his top vice presidential candidates were narrowed down to three, including:

JD Vance. He was a political novice before, elected as a senator from Ohio with Trump’s support in 2022, becoming a leader of the MAGA movement in less than two years. Vance’s rise is attributed to his theoretical synthesis and innovative capabilities; he combines Trump’s relatively scattered ideas into principles of a new conservative movement commonly known as “national conservatives” or “new right,” supporting strict border control, tariffs, strong government intervention in the economy, and moderate withdrawal from the world stage.

Another candidate is Doug Burgum, the Governor of North Dakota. He previously acted as Trump’s running mate in the 2020 election campaign, also acting as a representative for Trump on TV and at luxury dinners. After endorsing Trump in January, Trump described him as “the most reliable person, indisputable.” Burgum, 67, is a billionaire entrepreneur who founded his own software company and served as Vice President of Microsoft.

Another vice presidential candidate is the well-known federal senator Marco Rubio familiar to our Chinese audience. He is the son of Cuban immigrants, a staunch anti-communist fighter who has been sanctioned multiple times by the Chinese Communist Party. Rubio’s advantages are also prominent; he has personal charisma and can speak fluent Spanish and English, appealing to both working-class and professional voters, including tens of millions of Hispanic voters. Trump and Rubio had a close relationship during Trump’s presidency; Rubio served as an informal advisor on Latin American policy and collaborated with Ivanka to expand child tax credits.

Stephen Miller, the designer of Trump’s tough border policies and once a critic of Rubio, called the senator “one of the most profound, insightful, and talented thinkers on our political issues.”

So why did Trump ultimately choose Vance? I believe there are four main reasons:

First and foremost, Vance represents the success and spokesman of the crucial swing states and Rust Belt residents. We know that swing states are the most fiercely contested areas in the U.S. presidential elections. Trump won the Rust Belt in 2016, but Biden won in 2020. In recent years, although Trump has a general advantage in various states, it is not significant.

In this regard, Vance can assist Trump. Vance grew up in a small town in southern Ohio in the heart of the Rust Belt, witnessing the devastating impact of the economic downturn on the working class. In his autobiographical novel, “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance tells his story of parental divorce, his mother’s struggle with drug addiction and domestic violence after the divorce. At the same time, despite his uneducated grandparents being rough and vulgar, their love for their grandson allowed Vance to find refuge during the family storm and hold onto a glimmer of hope for the future. Eventually, he joined the military, went to college, graduated from Yale University, and became an executive director at venture capitalist Peter Thiel’s fund company. Then, he entered politics.

Moreover, his book is not just a success story; otherwise, it would be mediocre. Instead, it explores family, values, and why these people, originally staunch Democratic supporters, turned into staunch Republican supporters, and other important content. Therefore, his book became a bestseller on the New York Times list shortly after its publication in 2016 and was praised as one of the “six most important books to understand the Trump phenomenon.” In 2020, the book was made into a movie and released on Netflix.

Vance’s second and third major reasons for being chosen by Trump are that Vance has evolved from a political novice to a leader of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement and has served as an intermediary for Trump in Silicon Valley, the business sector, and politics into the traditional Democratic camp.

One evening in June, a group of millionaires gathered at an elegant mansion in San Francisco, enjoying hors d’oeuvres, including caviar-topped potato slices and mini burgers with American flags. At the start of the event, a young senator with a goatee asks guests to quiet down, introducing his friend to the guests – former President Donald Trump.

Many of these Silicon Valley bigwigs had only recently begun engaging with Trump, including the host of the mansion and the event, David Sacks, a venture capitalist and podcaster who had supported Hillary Clinton in 2016 and didn’t support any candidate in the 2020 election. Many other guests were current or former Democrats. But as Trump pointed out in his opening speech, they all gathered that night thanks to Vance.

This fundraising event raised $12 million for Trump. Omeed Malik, founder and president of the risk investment company 1789 Capital, said, “I think no candidate can navigate the tech industry and venture capital fields as effortlessly as Vance while also very effectively connect with American workers.”

Some of the most influential individuals in the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) circle, advocated for Trump to choose Vance as a running mate; these figures included the right-wing podcaster David Sacks, currently incarcerated Steve Bannon, Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk, and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Carlson said that selecting Vance as a running mate will “indicate Trump’s commitment to his voters,” he said Vance understands the perspective of the voters well. “Obviously, today’s leadership of the Republican Party is unable to carry out the most basic job, which is to represent their voters, if they can’t even do that, they are useless, incompetent to the extreme.”

Vance may also be helpful in uniting the Chinese audience. His mentor, author of “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” and his Yale professor, Amy Chua.

Vance’s fourth reason for selection is his love of learning, insight, and potential to be a good “apprentice” for Trump. His age is a big advantage, and his rapid learning ability is outstanding.

Vance’s transformation from a vehement opponent of Trump to a fervent supporter has been closely watched. Vance described himself as having “taken the red pill,” a metaphor denoting suddenly discovering the other side of reality in the real world. However, those who have known Vance for a long time say that his political leanings have remained largely consistent throughout. Over a decade ago, Vance was a lawyer in Washington, D.C., where he befriended a group of conservative reformers and occasionally wrote for the National Review. Yuval Levin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said, “I can say that Vance has always been more like a populist than most of us.” Levin also stated, “What Vance is interested in is how to make the right focus more on ordinary working households.”

Vance also has profound insight, with the Heritage Foundation’s chairman Kevin Roberts stating that Vance has a personal experience of the hollowing-out of the heartland of America, which has caused many conservatives to reassess their priorities.

In summary, Vance, like Trump, is combative and loves taking on new challenges. This characteristic is vividly portrayed in his first campaign ad. According to Vance’s advisors, he wrote this ad himself. “Are you a racist? Do you hate Mexicans?” Vance asked in the ad. “Just because we want to build the wall advocated by Trump, the media says we are racist.” The screen text refers to him as a “America First Conservative.”

Considering Trump’s personal safety may be at risk, many Trump supporters have recommended that he find a successor who shares his beliefs, which is a huge security guarantee for both the Republican Party and Trump himself.

Recently, Charlie Kirk, the chairman of “Turning Point USA,” said that Vance, like Trump, betrayed his own class and was initially welcomed by elite society but later turned against them. “The choice of Vance will send a signal to Washington’s new conservative faction: the era of endless war is coming to an end,” he said. “You can’t stab me in the back through the vice president anymore because his worldview aligns with Trump.”

Of course, everything has its pros and cons. Vance’s youth, lack of political experience, unfamiliarity with international affairs, and overzealousness in the Ukraine issue (rejecting support for Ukraine) are also his weaknesses. What impact will these weaknesses have? We will continue to observe.

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