Republicans Attempt to Emulate Trump's Humor — Leaving Voters Cringing
Far-right candidates struggle to replicate the charisma Trump brings from his television background.
TroibNews 
On Monday, while delivering a speech in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, JD Vance experienced an awkward moment with a half-joke.
“Democrats say that it is racist to believe — well, they say it’s racist to do anything,” he remarked. “I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today, and I’m sure they’re going to call that racist too. But it’s good.”
The audience's reaction was tepid. Some people behind him appeared perplexed, and only one person seemed to cheer. Vance laughed at his own joke and said, “I love you guys.”
The internet quickly seized on the clip, ridiculing Vance for his awkwardness as Donald Trump’s new running mate. The moment — along with much of the rest of the rally, where Vance clumsily attempted humor about local Middletown landmarks before launching into criticisms of Democrats — felt like a poor imitation of a Trump rally.
Vance portrays himself as a leading thinker within the Republican Party. To his supporters, he represents a promise of something more radical than Trump, influenced by far-right ideologies that challenge the basic tenets of liberal democracy. However, stylistically, he’s fallen into a common trap among far-right politicians in the Trump era: trying to mimic the man at the top of the ticket.
Throughout numerous rallies, Trump perfected a style that resonated well with his supporters: mixing humor and charisma with a nod to some of his more controversial ideas to soften his rhetoric. His background in entertainment — from "The Apprentice" to the wrestling ring with WWE — translated effectively into his unique political style. Michael Kruse of POLITICO Magazine noted earlier this year that laughter is a defining feature of Trump rallies, which has only increased as his rhetoric has delved further into conspiracy theories. Even many harsh critics concede that Trump is funny.
His imitators, however, are not.
Consider Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, long seen as Trump’s spiritual successor. During his primary campaign trail, he awkwardly forced loud, fake laughter at voters and displayed an unnatural smile on debate stages. Then there’s Blake Masters, whose 2022 Arizona Senate run included a bizarre and unsettling political ad featuring him alone in the Tucson desert with a silenced handgun. “I’ve wanted this gun for a long time, ever since I was a kid,” he says in the video. Masters embarrassed Trump, who decided to endorse his opponent in the Republican primary when Masters ran for a House seat this year.
Similarly, Kari Lake of Arizona, another 2022 candidate, has spent years pursuing futile legal challenges against her election loss — none likely to succeed — much like Trump continues to promote the “Big Lie” about the 2020 election. She possesses more natural stump skills than Vance, DeSantis, or Masters, partially due to her entertainment background. However, her behavior quickly alienated voters, such as when she compared herself and her supporters to Jesus during a church event, leaving the audience confused.
Trump’s son, Don Jr., also attempts to emulate his father, often falling flat. One notable instance was at CPAC in 2021, where he awkwardly tried to explain Texas’s political leadership: “Texas has always led the charge,” he said, “well, until about like a couple months ago, when Austin kind of took over — you’re still top 25.” This joke was one of many failed attempts at humor.
But difficulty connecting with crowds is not exclusive to Trump-aligned politicians. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed out on X that “Vance’s stump [speech] has got a nice Jeb Bush ring to it,” a nod to Bush’s infamous “please clap” moment from the 2016 primary. And considering Howard Dean’s bizarre “Byyyaaaah!” scream in the 2004 primary, it's clear that being awkward and out of touch is not limited by political ideology.
Without Trump’s humor and charisma, his imitators are left with only grievance politics, which can alienate some voters. During his Senate campaign in Ohio, Vance ran an ad where he smirked at the camera and asked, “Are you a racist? Do you hate Mexicans?” The aim was to highlight media portrayal of Trump supporters, but the delivery was off, resulting in a meme rather than an impactful message.
Vance’s polling numbers reflect this failure to connect. Despite winning his seat in 2022, he lagged behind Trump’s 2020 performance in Ohio. Harry Enten of CNN reports that Vance’s net favorability rating is now -6 points, making him the first non-incumbent vice presidential pick since 1980 to have a net negative favorability rating at this stage in the campaign. The average for non-incumbent vice presidential candidates since 2000 stands at +19.
Trump has a unique ability to boost turnout and energize Republicans, a quality his imitators lack. In the 2018 and 2022 elections, when Trump himself was not on the ballot, pro-Trump Republican candidates underperformed expectations and lost winnable races. Conversely, despite losing in 2020, Trump exceeded polling expectations.
This creates a paradox: Many of Trump’s ideas are unpopular with voters, but without his charisma, his ideological allies are left with policies like abortion bans that most Americans oppose. It’s Trump’s personality that cements his position as the party’s leader.
As a result, candidates like Vance attempt to build on Trump’s political legacy without possessing his personal appeal.
This scenario recalls the saying favored by wrestling icon Ric Flair: “Often imitated, never duplicated.” Or, as Trump himself famously declared in 2016, “I alone can fix it.”
At his Middletown rally, Vance recounted a story about a stringent math teacher from his high school named Ron Selby, who was present. Vance heard that Selby once faced a bomb threat from a student trying to avoid final exams. Knowing the student well, Selby walked up to the student’s locker, took the supposed bomb, and threw it in the trash, saying, “I know this kid. He’s not smart enough to make a bomb.”
While Vance shared this as a lighthearted tale, the story carries a broader lesson (besides the audience nervously laughing out of politeness). When you try to pose as something you’re not, it becomes obvious to everyone very quickly.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
“Democrats say that it is racist to believe — well, they say it’s racist to do anything,” he remarked. “I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today, and I’m sure they’re going to call that racist too. But it’s good.”
The audience's reaction was tepid. Some people behind him appeared perplexed, and only one person seemed to cheer. Vance laughed at his own joke and said, “I love you guys.”
The internet quickly seized on the clip, ridiculing Vance for his awkwardness as Donald Trump’s new running mate. The moment — along with much of the rest of the rally, where Vance clumsily attempted humor about local Middletown landmarks before launching into criticisms of Democrats — felt like a poor imitation of a Trump rally.
Vance portrays himself as a leading thinker within the Republican Party. To his supporters, he represents a promise of something more radical than Trump, influenced by far-right ideologies that challenge the basic tenets of liberal democracy. However, stylistically, he’s fallen into a common trap among far-right politicians in the Trump era: trying to mimic the man at the top of the ticket.
Throughout numerous rallies, Trump perfected a style that resonated well with his supporters: mixing humor and charisma with a nod to some of his more controversial ideas to soften his rhetoric. His background in entertainment — from "The Apprentice" to the wrestling ring with WWE — translated effectively into his unique political style. Michael Kruse of POLITICO Magazine noted earlier this year that laughter is a defining feature of Trump rallies, which has only increased as his rhetoric has delved further into conspiracy theories. Even many harsh critics concede that Trump is funny.
His imitators, however, are not.
Consider Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, long seen as Trump’s spiritual successor. During his primary campaign trail, he awkwardly forced loud, fake laughter at voters and displayed an unnatural smile on debate stages. Then there’s Blake Masters, whose 2022 Arizona Senate run included a bizarre and unsettling political ad featuring him alone in the Tucson desert with a silenced handgun. “I’ve wanted this gun for a long time, ever since I was a kid,” he says in the video. Masters embarrassed Trump, who decided to endorse his opponent in the Republican primary when Masters ran for a House seat this year.
Similarly, Kari Lake of Arizona, another 2022 candidate, has spent years pursuing futile legal challenges against her election loss — none likely to succeed — much like Trump continues to promote the “Big Lie” about the 2020 election. She possesses more natural stump skills than Vance, DeSantis, or Masters, partially due to her entertainment background. However, her behavior quickly alienated voters, such as when she compared herself and her supporters to Jesus during a church event, leaving the audience confused.
Trump’s son, Don Jr., also attempts to emulate his father, often falling flat. One notable instance was at CPAC in 2021, where he awkwardly tried to explain Texas’s political leadership: “Texas has always led the charge,” he said, “well, until about like a couple months ago, when Austin kind of took over — you’re still top 25.” This joke was one of many failed attempts at humor.
But difficulty connecting with crowds is not exclusive to Trump-aligned politicians. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed out on X that “Vance’s stump [speech] has got a nice Jeb Bush ring to it,” a nod to Bush’s infamous “please clap” moment from the 2016 primary. And considering Howard Dean’s bizarre “Byyyaaaah!” scream in the 2004 primary, it's clear that being awkward and out of touch is not limited by political ideology.
Without Trump’s humor and charisma, his imitators are left with only grievance politics, which can alienate some voters. During his Senate campaign in Ohio, Vance ran an ad where he smirked at the camera and asked, “Are you a racist? Do you hate Mexicans?” The aim was to highlight media portrayal of Trump supporters, but the delivery was off, resulting in a meme rather than an impactful message.
Vance’s polling numbers reflect this failure to connect. Despite winning his seat in 2022, he lagged behind Trump’s 2020 performance in Ohio. Harry Enten of CNN reports that Vance’s net favorability rating is now -6 points, making him the first non-incumbent vice presidential pick since 1980 to have a net negative favorability rating at this stage in the campaign. The average for non-incumbent vice presidential candidates since 2000 stands at +19.
Trump has a unique ability to boost turnout and energize Republicans, a quality his imitators lack. In the 2018 and 2022 elections, when Trump himself was not on the ballot, pro-Trump Republican candidates underperformed expectations and lost winnable races. Conversely, despite losing in 2020, Trump exceeded polling expectations.
This creates a paradox: Many of Trump’s ideas are unpopular with voters, but without his charisma, his ideological allies are left with policies like abortion bans that most Americans oppose. It’s Trump’s personality that cements his position as the party’s leader.
As a result, candidates like Vance attempt to build on Trump’s political legacy without possessing his personal appeal.
This scenario recalls the saying favored by wrestling icon Ric Flair: “Often imitated, never duplicated.” Or, as Trump himself famously declared in 2016, “I alone can fix it.”
At his Middletown rally, Vance recounted a story about a stringent math teacher from his high school named Ron Selby, who was present. Vance heard that Selby once faced a bomb threat from a student trying to avoid final exams. Knowing the student well, Selby walked up to the student’s locker, took the supposed bomb, and threw it in the trash, saying, “I know this kid. He’s not smart enough to make a bomb.”
While Vance shared this as a lighthearted tale, the story carries a broader lesson (besides the audience nervously laughing out of politeness). When you try to pose as something you’re not, it becomes obvious to everyone very quickly.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
