On Wednesday afternoon, before the resumption of the Republican National Convention (RNC) events, Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance held a presser, where he spoke briefly but forcefully about Donald Trump:

J.D. Vance: "Donald Trump got shot and he turned down the temperature, that's what a real leader does." @JDVance1 pic.twitter.com/S8Bz1uP62s

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) July 17, 2024

The Ohio senator opened the press conference by speaking about his reaction to the attempted assassination of President Trump on Saturday, describing his impression, shared by many, of amazement at the former president's regaining his feet and raising his fist:

And then of course he stands up, a minute later, after they shot him, they literally shot him, and he raised his fist in the air, and he shouts "Fight! Fight! Fight!" And he fires up the crowd.

Vance went on to describe his reactions: Relief, shock, anger. Then he described Trump's first instinct:

Was he mad and angry? He called for national unity, he called for calm, he showed leadership. My friends, the media keeps saying they want someone to tone down the temperature.

Well, Donald Trump got shot, and he toned down the temperature.

But the meat of his presser was not on the attempt on Donald Trump's life, but instead a criticism of Joe Biden's presidency and praise for Trump's policy positions, which is what one would expect from a presser for a brand-new vice presidential candidate. Some highlights:

President Trump is of course one of the most successful real estate executives in the history of our country, of course the Trump name became synonymous with luxury and beauty in the real estate world, and Joe Biden, of course likes to pretend he's just Scranton Joe, although I think Joe Biden doesn't know much about what he is or isn't these days.

There's a distinction to be drawn here, as the VP nominee points out, and it has not been seen often in American presidential politics: As in 2016, as in 2020, the contest has been between a career politician - first Hillary Clinton, then Joe Biden and now again Joe Biden, against a man who has spent his entire adult life up to 2016 in the private sector. Trump has had his successes and failures, as anyone who has ever run a business will testify is generally the case, but unlike the career pols, he knows what it's like to produce value in the marketplace, to have to make payroll, and so on.

Speaking of Trump, Mr. Vance went on:

Because they (working Americans) know that he has their best interest at heart. They know that when he was president for four years, groceries, and gas, and energy, and housing, were affordable to a normal person in this country. And after four years of the Biden administration, the basic trappings of a good middle class life have become less and less attainable.

Look for these to be the themes of the campaign. former President Trump is expected to make unity a theme for the rest of the convention, and J.D. Vance appears to be defining the terms of the debate going forward: pocketbook issues, focused on the middle class, working Americans, and business owners and their employees. As the old saying goes, "It's the economy, stupid," and on economic issues, the Biden administration has given the Trump campaign a lot to work with.

In fact, no matter who ends up being the Democrat candidate, assuming that the resurgent "dump Biden" movement wins that fight, this is the right card to play, as no matter what Democrat sits at the Resolute Desk, the policies will be much the same.

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