WSJ Targets Vance as Trump's 2028 Heir
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- Wall Street Journal opinion writers Kimberley Strassel and Allysia Finley, plus an unsigned editorial, have published multiple columns attacking VP Vance, targeting his book tour for "Communion," his defense of the Iran MOU, and his outreach to Tucker Carlson
- Strassel wrote that Vance is "a sensitive bunny" whose "national conservative" ambitions "aren't landing," after his fans attacked her for an earlier column accusing him of going AWOL from Congress to promote his book
- Finley and the editorial board zeroed in on Vance's defense of the Iran MOU, with the board writing dismissively: "We promise that wasn't Mr. Obama or John Kerry speaking"
- The WSJ critics fall into three interlocking circles: pro-Israel conservatives, pre-Trump traditional Republicans, and the Murdoch empire — owner Rupert Murdoch previously lobbied Trump not to pick Vance as VP
- Vance's allies pushed back, noting his office said he's been to Congress over two dozen times since becoming VP, and framed the criticism as helping Vance by aligning him with the grassroots rather than the "establishment never-Trumpers"
- Major GOP donor Ken Griffin said he'd back Secretary of State Marco Rubio over Vance in a primary, and the book "Regime Change" revealed Murdoch told Trump Rubio is "brilliant" while Vance "has the potential to be great"
- The article's broader context: Vance mirrors Trump on trade and immigration — the two issues at the center of Trump's overhaul of the GOP and where the Journal is most at odds with the administration
Why it matters: The Wall Street Journal editorial board represents the coalition of pre-Trump establishment, pro-Israel hawks, and the Murdoch empire that has now lost three straight cycles to MAGA. With Griffin and Murdoch openly preferring Rubio, the 2028 primary will test whether elite opposition can dent a candidate who mirrors Trump on the trade and immigration issues that drive the GOP base — or whether Vance's allies are right that the criticism only helps him with voters who've already moved past the Bush-era GOP.
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