Vice President JD Vance on Thursday warned that it would be a mistake for critics of President Donald Trump's MAGA movement to reclaim control of the Republican Party, arguing the GOP must give its working-class coalition a reason to turn out when Trump is not on the ballot.
"There is an effort to try to wrest control of the Republican Party away from the voters and away from the coalition that really delivered the big victory in 2024," Vance said, according to the Washington Examiner. "I think it's a huge mistake."
Vance said supporters of the MAGA movement represent "a fundamentally new phenomenon in American politics," distinct from the GOP coalitions assembled under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
Vance said the newer, populist coalition is more willing to challenge traditional Republican orthodoxy, creating a sometimes uneasy alliance in the party.
Trump-aligned voters historically show up when the president is on the ballot. But low turnout in November's elections helped Democrats Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger win the governorships in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively, by double-digit margins.
With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, Vance said Republicans must give those voters a clear reason to participate.
"We've got to motivate them," he said. "We've got to get them out to vote.
"I think it's one of the lessons that we learned in Virginia and New Jersey, is that when Donald Trump is not on the ballot, you've got to give people something to actually believe in, something to be inspired by, to get out there and vote.
"They're not going to vote just because you have an R next to your name; you've got to speak to this new working-class coalition."
Midterm elections typically challenge the party in the White House. During Trump's first term, Republicans lost control of the House as Democrats gained 40 seats. Democrats also picked up governorships, statewide offices, and state legislative chambers.
"And the one worry that I have when I look at so many of our great congressional allies, I do think that some of our folks in Congress they want to go back to the Republican Party of 20 years ago," Vance said. "That Republican Party was a Republican Party that lost and that couldn't successfully govern the country.
"We need to lean into this new coalition and do a better job serving them, and that's how we get them to show up in these midterm elections, so that we can win not just presidential races, but midterm races, too."
Vance encouraged the MAGA coalition to direct its focus at progressives who he said are trying to derail Trump's agenda by stoking internal GOP conflict over Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and documents linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"My attitude is, let these debates play out, but don't let the debates that … we're having internally, blind us to the fact that we are up against a radical leftist movement that murdered my friend a couple of months ago," Vance said, referring to the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. "And that would throw many people in the Trump administration in prison, not for doing anything illegal, but for not following the far left's agenda.
"That is the real opponent here."
Vance urged the MAGA base to stay unified.
"Have our debates but focus on the enemy so that we can win victories that matter for the American people," he said. "That's my message."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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