J.D. Vance was once a liberal media darling. But in recent weeks, since Donald Trump selected him as his running mate, the Ohio senator has been the subject of almost wall-to-wall negative coverage — in both the liberal press, and on left-leaning social media. But my guest on today’s program says that Vance is a complex figure, and one we should take a closer look at.

Zaid Jilani is the freelance American journalist behind the Substack newsletter The American Saga. His recent essay for Compact Magazine is “Why the Left Gets J.D. Vance Wrong.”

Zaid Jilani is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come for paid subscribers.

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