NBC political commentator Chuck Todd stunned MSNBC hosts by claiming GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance would “have been very comfortable in the Democratic Party of Walter Mondale in 1984.”
Todd appeared on NBC’s left-leaning sister cable network MSNBC on Tuesday during the Comcast-owned outfit’s coverage of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The former “Meet the Press” moderator was commenting on the shift in the Republican Party, which was exemplified by a speech given at the convention by Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Having a union boss address the Republican convention raised eyebrows among political observers.
“I mean, look, JD Vance, the Teamsters president, last night, this is an ideology that would have been very comfortable in the Democratic Party of [former Vice President] Walter Mondale in 1984,” Todd said during the MSNBC broadcast on Tuesday.
“It’s wild just to hear you say that out loud,” MSNBC anchor Jansing said.
“I know!” Todd replied.
In the same segment, Todd said that Vance had a “MAGA-plus type of mindset” that could open the door for President Joe Biden’s campaign to say “Look how extreme the MAGA agenda is.”
Todd added that Biden’s campaign could potentially appeal to voters who backed “Republican conservatism that began with sort of [President Dwight] Eisenhower” but whose “time of death was…when Donald Trump came down the escalator” in 2015.
Vance, a Republican US senator from Ohio, was an unconventional choice by Trump as he is seen as a proponent of regulation of business.
He has expressed approval of Biden’s pick to head the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, who has been aggressive in enforcing antitrust laws.
Vance has partnered with liberal Democrats including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in crafting legislation aimed at Wall Street.
Ken Griffin, the billionaire founder of hedge fund Citadel who has donated millions to Republican candidates including Trump, urged the former president not to pick Vance, the 39-year-old first term senator, according to Politico.
The GOP donor class sought to persuade Trump to pick Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), but the former president instead chose Vance, who is reportedly well-connected to Silicon Valley venture capitalists.
Several high-profile tech moguls including Tesla boss Elon Musk and PayPal co-founder David Sacks are backing Trump in the election.
Silicon Valley donors are betting that a second Trump presidency would adopt tech-friendly policies such as de-regulation of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.