JD Vance thinks Trump deserves to grift more money and trans kids deserve less humanity

Without Donald Trump, JD Vance would be my pick for the most unpopular — dare I say despised — person in America. Sometimes I think he tries to be a jerk because he’s just so good at it.Somebody with a bit of political background once told me that Vance is doing his best to be Trump’s most devoted suck-up. But I’m not sure. I think Vance was born an asshat, and as he’s gotten older, he's perfected the art of it.He outdid himself during a recent appearance on Mark Halperin’s 2WAY Tonight, where Vance offered an astonishingly obtuse defense of Trump and his family’s relentless monetization of the public trust, otherwise known as grifting in broad daylight.When pressed on the endless stream of foreign business deals, book contracts, and digital trading cards, to name just a few of their shameless moneymaking endeavors, Vance claimed the Trumps were actually the victims.He professed to feel deeply sorry for them during Trump’s first term, lamenting that they were “attacked” and that Trump’s political ambitions nearly “destroyed” their lives. Hey, Vance, you moron, two of Trump’s companies were convicted in 2022 of crimes including criminal tax fraud. That’s accountability, however much you want to sell it as persecution.Related: Not to worry, JD Vance is ready to be your next president if there's a 'terrible tragedy'Calling the Trump family’s sprawling business interests a tragedy is outlandish. Vance argued that the Trumps were simply entitled to “earn a living.”See what I mean about trying to be a jerk?Trump’s job as president pays him $400,000 a year, plus a $50,000 expense account. A $400,000 salary is more than enough to earn a living. What more does anyone need, Vance?This staggering lack of awareness about how off-putting he comes across is becoming part of Vance’s shtick. Here’s one of my favorite examples. During an appearance on Mike Rowe’s The Way I Heard It podcast, Vance bragged about how his life had been “to