Vice President J.D. Vance, who used to be a senator from Ohio, is reportedly proving instrumental in getting President Donald Trump's more controversial nominations confirmed in the Senate, where he serves as President Pro Temps.
Sources familiar with the workings of the Senate told Fox Digital that Vance has gained Republican senators' trust and managed to help get both Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. through the process when they faced opposition from a few Republicans.
Gabbard had to get past the Intelligence Select Committee to be confirmed as DNI head, and Kennedy had to get past the Senate Committee on Finance.
Because of the committee structure, the nominees had to get all Republican votes to move on to a full Senate confirmation vote.
The vice president spoke to potential holdouts several times over a few days, and finally won them over.
Vance addressed specific concerns each Republican senator had before the vote and was able to reassure them that the nominees were solid.
In the case of Gabbard, the concerns were lack of intel experience and a concern that she was too pro-war. She was also a Democrat representative before leaving Congress in 2021.
For Kennedy, his perceived anti-vaccine views and a seeming tendency toward conspiracy theories threatened to derail the nomination.
Kennedy was also a Democrat before turning independent to challenge Trump and Biden for the presidency.
Trump offered him the HHS secretary position to get him to drop out of the race and endorse him for president over Joe Biden.
Both nominees were ultimately confirmed. So far, Trump has managed to get all of his nominees confirmed despite controversies like this.
Vance is probably no stranger to skepticism about some of Trump's choices for key allies with which to surround himself.
When Trump chose him as a vice presidential candidate, many people were initially critical of that choice as well.
Vance has proven to be a strong choice since that time, showing that Trump knew what he was doing in picking him. If all of his appointees turn out as well, he will have a very successful four years.
