JD Vance: From 'America's Hitler' and Helping Hillary to Trump's VP - Next, Trump Will Destroy Him

JD Vance, Peter Thiel, and the Hillary Clinton backchannel nobody knew about — breaking down Chris Whipple's bombshell Vanity Fair piece "God and Vance at Yale."

Michelle Kinney digs into the new reporting on JD Vance's Yale Law years, his relationship with mentor Amy Chua, how his wife Usha outshone him academically at every turn, the shocking revelation that Vance privately tried to help Hillary Clinton beat Trump in 2016, and how Peter Thiel engineered Vance's entire political rise. Plus: why Trump may not let Vance survive to 2028.

TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 – Intro, welcome back from Breaking the News 00:43 – Topic intro: JD Vance 01:26 – Whipple's "God and Vance at Yale" (Vanity Fair) introduced 02:56 – Michelle's take: "very cynical about JD Vance" 03:27 – Why Yale sources were afraid to speak on record 04:20 – Amy Chua closeness (WHCD text story) 04:58 – Chua background (Tiger Mom, Yale mentor, immigrant parallel) 06:57 – "Empty shell" / Talented Mr. Ripley comparison 07:25 – "Craven opportunist? Yes" verdict; Chua "full of shit" 08:07 – Usha introduced, compared to Hillary Clinton 08:26 – Julie joins 09:52 – "Chilly fish" quote 10:15 – "Doesn't believe in anything" / Marine Corps PR background 10:42 – Peter Thiel enters the story 12:32 – "Daddy" / Thiel as the seminal figure in his life 17:25 – Hillary Clinton backchannel story setup 18:06 – "I hate Hillary, but I hate Trump more" quote 19:03 – Prediction: Trump will destroy him before he can be nominee 19:21 – Trump 2028 gift-shop hat anecdote 20:33 – Deep dive: Silicon Valley–DC–Hungary–Kremlin network 21:00 – Peter Thiel background (PayPal, 2016 RNC, "Antichrist") 23:12 – Rockbridge Network and Chris Buskirk introduced 27:01 – Buskirk's backstory (debt, dry cleaner lawsuits) 31:10 – 2019 Rockbridge summit attendees 32:09 – Catholic conversion / Opus Dei ties 33:10 – Ad clip #1: "JD Vance thinks you are stupid" (opioid/Purdue Pharma ad) 34:10 – Reflection on that ad, four years later 36:57 – "Empty shell" theme revisited — attaching to powerful people 38:07 – Usha's liberal family background; Vance's Yale friendship with a trans woman 39:57 – Setup for the grandparents'/domestic violence controversy 42:47 – Ad clip #2: "Abuser" ad (domestic violence comments) 44:07 – Susie Wiles quote: Vance's conversion "purely political" vs. Rubio's 49:56 – Ad clip #3: "Give us another chance" 55:56 – Wrap-up 56:44 – Sign-off begins (Big Internet Upgrades for Mayday, NY1, Curb Your Enthusiasm)

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