‘Is JD Vance aware that a small village in rural Tyrone is his ancestral home? Very unlikely, but I would love him to visit Coagh'
The research is also backed up by a local historian who has traced the Vance family back to the Tyrone village of Coagh.
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Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How JD Vance is working to save his 2028 prospects as he navigates first REAL battle between angry MAGA and Trump over Epstein
As the blow-up over President Donald Trump and prominent MAGA figures continues to simmer, Vice President JD Vance spent the week calculating his response and limiting his role in the scorched earth debate. Attorney General Pam Bondi shocked Trump's supporters after the Independence Day holiday, releasing a review from the Justice Department claiming that Epstein did not have a 'client list' and there were no more files related to his death in prison or the sex trafficking investigation against him. The usually thoughtful and provocative vice president was silent on social media as the debate raged online, while Democrats cheered another MAGA 'civil war' at the president's expense. The vice president traveled to West Pittston, Pennsylvania on Wednesday with a pool of reporters, but he did not engage the press who were eager to question him on the fued that threatened to blow up the MAGA coalition. That was all by design, people familiar with Vance's thinking told the Daily Mail. 'Vice President Vance is following President Trump's lead and focusing on celebrating the administration's policy victories like the historic passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill,' a source close to the vice president told the Daily Mail. Trump, the source noted, wanted to focus on their success ending taxes on tips and overtime, the S&P and NASDAQ hitting record highs, unemployment claims dropping, record low border crossings, wages rising more than inflation, and retail sales surging. 'The White House is racking up wins on a daily basis, and there's a lot the Vice President can be talking about and working on that actually affects Americans' day-to-day lives,' the source noted. In other words, ignore the noise that was threatening to rip their coalition apart. After delivering a rousing speech in defence of the administration's 'Big Beautiful Bill' the vice president and Second Lady Usha Vance traveled to the Majestic Lunch diner. As he walked through the diner and spoke to patrons, no one spoke up about the Epstein files on camera. Instead, Vance chatted about food, football, and the military before leaving with a to-go order. Even as Trump angered many of his supporters by dismissing the importance of the Epstein files and even chiding them for being 'duped' by Democrats on the issue, Vance remained focused on his loyalty to the president. It's a familiar struggle for vice presidents who privately harbor future political ambitions even as their boss threatens to undermine their political future. Trump no longer faces voters in a future election, earning him the ability to write off their concerns about the Epstein files. The president calculated that big policy and legislative victories would overcome any disgruntled supporters. For now, Vance appears comfortable siding with the president, who values loyalty over all else. But many perpetually online observers were busy resurfacing old Vance tweets and statements from weeks and years back, reminding him of this own questions about the Epstein files and his own calls to release them. 'If you're a journalist and you're not asking questions about this case you should be ashamed of yourself,' Vance fumed back in 2021. 'What purpose do you even serve?' While Vance was publicly silent after the DOJ's Epstein announcement, he worked quietly behind the scenes to diffuse the civil war within the administration. As FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel were disappointed with Bondi's handling of the case, he spoke with them personally and urged them to remain in their positions rather than resign in protest, according to a White House insider. Then came the moment to pounce, using the perfect foil. Once the Wall Street Journal published details of a 'letter' purportedly written by the president for Epstein's birthday that included a crude drawing of a naked woman, Vance eagerly leaped to the defense of his boss. 'Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter bullshit. The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it,' Vance blasted on social media. He scolded the Journal for failing to show Trump a copy of the letter before publishing details about it in an article. 'Doesn't it violate some rule of journalistic ethics to publish a letter like this without showing it to the victim of this hit piece?' he asked. Vance also applauded the president's announcement that he had asked his attorney general to produce 'any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony' regarding the case, reposting a 'LFG' post hailing the decision by Donald Trump Jr. That measured up to the loyal attack dog role expected by a vice president, but he was careful not to lash out at the president's supporters, even as some of them piled into his replies online. Despite his loyalty, Vance may face political consequences for remaining silent on the issue after cheering on the release of the Epstein files and further investigations into his clients for years. 'Remember when we learned that our wealthiest and most powerful people were connected to a guy who ran a literal child sex trafficking ring? And then that guy died mysteriously in a jail? And now we just don't talk about it,' he wrote in September 2021, sharing an article published by The Week titled: 'The Jeffrey Epstein case is why people believe in Pizzagate. 'Release the list!' comedian podcaster Theo Von said in an interview with Vance in October 2024, just weeks before the election. Vance agreed at the time. The clip was resurfaced this week by angry supporters, prompting Von himself to respond on social media. 'Yeah what changed?' he asked his 1.6 million followers on X. Vance did not respond, but the unspoken answer to the question is that his boss won the presidency, and for now, the vice president will follow his lead. The question is if that price of loyalty will ultimately cost him. 'I don't know how to do it without infuriating Trump beyond belief but if JD Vance has any hope in 2028 he's going to need to distance himself from the Epstein debacle,' said Clint Russell, a Miami-based conservative YouTuber. 'I mean you need to tell the truth, now, while it's needed.'
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
JD Vance to spend summer family holiday in the Cotswolds
He made his name with a memoir set among the hillbillies of the rugged Appalachians – yet it seems JD Vance now favours altogether more gentle hills. For his family's holiday this year the US vice-president is understood to have chosen the Cotswolds, where Land Rovers outnumber pickup trucks. Vance, his wife, Usha, and their three young children are expected next month to rent a property in the region – an increasingly popular choice for wealthy tourists – soon after Donald Trump, the US president, finishes a stay in Scotland. Earlier in August, Vance and his family are expected to visit London, despite the vice-president having said – shortly before last year's presidential election – that the city was 'not English any more.' In February, Vance lashed out at European governments – including that of the UK – accusing political leaders of suppressing free speech, failing to halt illegal migration and running in fear from voters. 'In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat,' he told the Munich Security Conference, listing a string of cases he claimed were evidence. Britain was singled out for arresting a man praying near an abortion clinic. But while Vance might enjoy the Cotswolds – home to the Chipping Norton set whose ranks include David Cameron and Jeremy Clarkson – a different reception could await when he later travels on to Scotland, which is home to anti-Trump sentiment. In his Munich speech, Vance hit out at the Scottish government over abortion rights, saying it was distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay 'within so-called safe access zones', warning them that 'even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law'. He added: 'The government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thought crime in Britain and across Europe.' A spokesperson for the Scottish government said Vance's claim was inaccurate. It appeared to be a reference to the introduction of safe access zones within 200 metres of abortion clinics, banning any form of harassment. 'Private prayer at home is not prohibited within safe access zones and no letter has ever suggested it was,' added the spokesperson. Vance's trip to the UK comes at a time when tourist traffic going in the opposite direction has plummeted against the backdrop of Trump's policies and rhetoric. The number of UK residents visiting the US was down 14.3% in March compared with the same month in 2024, official figures showed. However, Britons continue to make up the largest number of overseas visitors to the US.
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Telegraph
Protesters vow to disrupt Vance's Cotswolds family holiday
JD Vance has been warned by protesters that he will 'find the resistance waiting' when he visits the Cotswolds this summer. The US vice-president is expected to travel to the UK with his family for a holiday among the picturesque villages and rolling hills of South West England in August. Ahead of his visit, however, an anti-Donald Trump coalition of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, climate protesters and trade unions has told Mr Vance to expect protests against his trip. Mr Vance and his family are expected to visit the UK shortly after the US president completes a five-day stay in Scotland. The US president is due to fly to Scotland on Friday, where he will check up on his business interests and meet the Prime Minister in Aberdeen. He will visit his Trump Turnberry golf club in Ayrshire on the west coast before opening a new course on his Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire, on the north-east coast. The Stop Trump Coalition have said previously they will protest against Mr Trump's visit by hanging banners and flags along the roads and inscribing a huge message on a nearby beach that will be visible from the air. Now, the coalition has issued a warning to Mr Vance that they expect further demonstrations to take place when he visits. A Stop Trump Coalition spokesman said: 'We are meeting Trump with protests in Aberdeen and Edinburgh this month, and then in London and Windsor in September. 'JD Vance is every bit as unwelcome in the UK as Donald Trump. 'We remember how Vance cut short his ski trip in Vermont because he was so enraged by the sight of a few protesters. 'We are sure that, even in the Cotswolds, he will find the resistance waiting.' In March, hundreds of protesters holding pro-Ukraine signs confronted Mr Vance in Waitsfield, Vermont, where he and his family were visiting for a ski holiday. Protesters branded Mr Vance a 'national disgrace' with some telling him and his family to 'go ski in Russia'. It was later reported that the family were forced to move to an undisclosed location from their planned ski resort because of the demonstrations. Earlier this month, Mr Vance was met with hecklers and widespread demonstrations after he visited Disneyland in California. Protesters gathered outside the nearby Grand Californian Hotel, where the vice-president and his family were staying, waving flags and chanting. Other Disneyland visitors later complained that regular guests were experiencing delays and long lines because of the additional security in place and rides being shut down for the Vance family. The vice-president, his wife Usha and their three young children are expected to join millions of American tourists in crossing the Atlantic to see the sights of London in mid-August. They are then expected to rent a cottage in the Cotswolds before leaving to spend time in Scotland. Mrs Vance has taken the lead in finding a cottage in the Cotswolds where they can unwind with Ewan, eight, five-year-old Vivek, and Mirabel, three. Trump has previously been highly critical of protests targeting his properties in the UK and reacted angrily when vandals daubed pro-Palestinian graffiti on his Turnberry golf course He raised the incident with Starmer and described the protesters as 'terrorists'. Following Trump's election victory in November last year, a number of celebrities 'fled' the US and relocated to the Cotswolds. Among them was US TV host Ellen DeGeneres, who moved to the UK from Montecito, California, with her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, following Trump's win. Recently, Ms DeGeneres and her wife were pictured enjoying a drink in one of the Cotswolds' most famous pubs. The couple were seen spending an evening at The Farmer's Dog in Burford, Oxfordshire, which is run and owned by Jeremy Clarkson. Mr Clarkson bought the Oxfordshire pub for £1million this summer, and customers queued for four hours to get in when he opened its doors in August.
