JD Vance sees an opening in the post-election blame game: Republican hawks are attacking him for opposing the war, Democrats promise retribution — and he’s planning to use both to prove he’s the anti-establishment voice in Washington. Vance allies say the attacks could help him recast the MAGA brand after the midterms and rally voters who soured on the war President Donald Trump launched the U.S. into. “I think JD warmly welcomes that fight, because he not only has the moral high ground but also the wildly more popular position,” Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show” and a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, told Playbook. “Unpopular DC insiders criticizing him for not being a sufficient enough war hawk is not necessarily a bad thing for him politically and sends the right signal to our base,” the person said. “These people are doing the lord’s work as far as I’m concerned.” Democrats, according to Vance world, risk stepping into a similar trap of their own making. “Being so fixated on lawfare and retribution when the party said they were gonna deliver cheaper gas and affordable health care will turn out to be a real letdown,” Kolvet said. “This is a gift for JD to really shine.” “They can’t help themselves. They will overreach,” the person close to Vance told Playbook, adding that Democrats’ rebalancing of the power in Washington “sets him up to run against the left-wing Congress, which allows him to ultimately run on a more anti-establishment and anti-Washington message.” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), another Vance ally, told Playbook “there will be no shortage of contrast” between the vice president, who he described as a “ferocious fighter,” and “a Democrat Congress hellbent on petty revenge, not affordability.” An embattled Vance will encourage other Republicans to join the field, and play into his strategy for 2028, the person told Playbook. What they’re saying: “When we vote on appropriations, we intend to fund the government and stop funds for this war. It is what the American people demand, and what they deserve,” the joint statement reads. Members of the group are already acknowledging the group’s relationship with Jordan could be complicated. Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), who could be in line to chair the HFC, expects the group will have to pressure Jordan at times. “It’s like when you hire your brother to build your house,” he said in an interview. “There may be some awkward moments, but at the end of the day, we have a shared goal and a shared vision.” 1. TOP TALKER: “Nvidia Is Preparing to Oust CEO Jensen Huang,” by WSJ’s Robbie Whelan and colleagues: “Nvidia’s board is preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang after he had two extramarital affairs, including one with a suspected Chinese spy and another with an employee. … It would leave one of the world’s most valuable companies in need of a new leader.” Drama on the floor: Republicans and Democrats traded barbs yesterday on a veterans bill that cleared the House via voice vote unexpectedly, with a top Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee accusing the GOP of “trickery” after the bill had faced bipartisan opposition, POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy and Riley Rogerson report. Many careers start at a technical college or university. bp invests in both. Near its Cherry Point refinery in Washington state, bp supports process technology and industrial programs at Bellingham Technical College, where students learn process control, mechanical systems and advanced manufacturing. At the University of Houston, bp connects college students with real energy challenges through case competitions, hackathons and mentorship. ARCH NEMESIS — “Trump wants to arm his DC arch. Experts see a threat,” by POLITICO’s Heather Richards: “President Donald Trump’s declaration that his proposed Washington triumphal arch, replete with drones and a weapons arsenal, will protect the city is coming under heavy fire from experts in munitions and terrorism. The arch is more likely to become a high-value target for terrorists on the scale of the 1983 Beirut bombing of U.S. soldiers or the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.”
