JD Vance Is Chummy With Entrepreneurs Like Peter Thiel. But Is He a Friend to Small Business?

It’s been a momentous week after the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, with bullets narrowly missing the former president and killing a spectator. Nothing much has changed with the president’s health. But everything changes when you’re fashioned into a martyr. 

Other than a bandaged ear, the former president is fine — but dodging death as Trump surely did has seemingly invigorated his base as they champion the former president’s strength. Polling within swing states shows Trump hitting record highs.

What better time to announce your pick for vice president?

Minus his past critique of Trump — comparing him to Hitler, say — JD Vance might be the perfect running mate. He’s eloquent, a strong debater, has a bestseller under his belt, and, at 39, offers some reprieve to Americans tired of choosing between an octogenarian and a septuagenarian. The play here is that someone with youth and vigor could attract younger waves of voters — and while that’s something that Kamala Harris, 59, has worked on herself, Vance still has a 20-year advantage here. 

Vance may be the proposed second-in-command right now, but proponents of the Ohio senator say he could be the one to carry the torch into the 2028 presidential election… and emerge the victor. Elon Musk reportedly described the Trump-Vance pairing as “beautiful,” per The New York Times.

But would Vance be a friend to small businesses if the Trump-Vance ticket clinched the presidency? That’s a lot less certain.

He does have inroads into the entrepreneurial community thanks to his VC work. His firm, Narya, invested in a trio of Ohio companies, alongside 46 other firms. He’s also worked
at Steve Case’s venture firm, Revolution, which focuses its investments on growing Middle America. Don’t forget: His Senate campaign got a $15 million infusion from Peter Thiel, a conservative billionaire and co-founder of PayPal with a heavy hand in politics.