‘I’m Not Going to Stab You in the Back,’ J.D. Vance Tries Reassuring Doubtful Republicans, Trump Supporters

Screenshot via Rumble

Hillbilly Elegy author and Ohio Senate hopeful J.D. Vance is continuing to pitch himself to doubtful Republicans and Donald Trump supporters in the final days before the Republican primary there, making a last ditch promise to supporters on Friday, saying, “I promise I’m not going to stab you in the back.”

J.D. Vance came into his race with name recognition, but he has faced an uphill battle with numerous Republicans blasting him, mostly citing the negative comments he made about Trump in 2016. Back then, Vance was a “Never Trump guy,” but these days he’s trying to appeal directly to Trump’s voting base, making his past criticism a problem for some.

“I promise you I’m not going to stab you in the back, I’m not going to stab our people in the back. In three years I guarantee the people who supported me are going to be proud that they did. So thank you,”  Vance said on Friday in a pitch to the audience of the conservative website The Gateway Pundit.

In the interview with Gateway Pundit founder Jim Hoft — who said he has also endorsed Vance — Vance once again addressed his flip flop on Trump, insisting the former president’s stances on issues like border security and voter I.D. laws were what won him over. He also credited Trump with removing the “veil” that was covering up the “unbelievable corruption” in the U.S. government.

“A lot of us were kind of blind to how broken the country was or at least how broken our leadership was, and he really ripped the veil off,” Vance said of Trump.

The former president has stuck by his endorsement of Vance despite past comments by the author being highlighted by Republican competitors and other critics more as the May 3 primary draws closer.

While campaigning for Vance in Ohio, Trump acknowledged Vance had said some “bad shit” about him in the past, but if that had disqualified him from an endorsement, then the former president wouldn’t endorse anybody.

“He’s the guy that said some bad shit about me. He did,” said Trump. “But you know what? Every one of the others did also. In fact, if I went by that standard, I don’t think I’d have ever endorsed anyone in the country.”