Last week, Donald Trump met with Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin at Trump's golf course in Sterling, Virginia, and it set the online rumor mill ablaze. Ostensibly, the meeting was to discuss Trump's 2024 campaign in the Old Dominion, where he is currently tied with President Joe Biden. Trump has been polling so well in Virginia -- a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020 -- that FiveThirtyEight has moved it into the 'toss-up' category.
But since Trump has not selected his running mate yet, and since Youngkin would be considered a very strong complement to any presidential ticket (and since anything Trump does causes mayhem online), the speculation started swirling that Youngkin could be the one.
We won't get into the pros and cons of Trump picking Youngkin, at least not right now, because what's far more hilarious -- and utterly predictable -- has been the reaction from the mainstream media to the gossip.
For this, we turn to Politico, which posted this hilarious attempted takedown of Youngkin on Twitter this morning.
Once the GOP’s hottest rising star, Glenn Youngkin is now failing to make his mark in both his party and his state. What happened?https://t.co/9uXW4sczyP
— POLITICO (@politico) June 16, 2024
LOL. They're terrified of him.
It's fairly obvious that this article was written long in advance, and Politico was just hanging onto it for just the right moment to drop it. It's also fairly obvious that the writer has an agenda, seeking out the most trite and overused criticisms that the media always turns to. For instance, one reason they claim Youngkin isn't more successful (in their opinion) is that he isn't nice enough to Democrats such as noted obstructionist State Senator Louise Lucas, and doesn't seek their favor often enough.
Speaking of whom, there are plenty of subtle racism charges thrown at Youngkin for good measure. Because, of course, there are.
Unfortunately for Politico, no one was buying it.
Speaking as someone who lives in Virginia and follows the Youngkin admin closely, critics of our Governor ignore how popular he is across the Commonwealth (consistent 55-57% approval). You thought he was going to be a progressive Republican? LOL. He's going to be fine. Will you? https://t.co/Rgz4yADukS
— Gabriella Hoffman (@Gabby_Hoffman) June 16, 2024
Youngkin's approval rating in Virginia is not only well above 50 percent, but he has a net approval of plus 16. While that's not among the highest in the nation, it is one of the highest in anything that can remotely be considered a swing state, let alone a D +10 state. He's even polling above hugely popular governors like Ron DeSantis.
Sure. https://t.co/GPqNJDHYIf
— Kelkat (@Tweetytweeter63) June 16, 2024
Bwahahahahaha 🤣🤣
— Holly Thornton 🇺🇸 (@beachmamax2) June 16, 2024
Is this a joke? His approval is 30 points higher in VA than Joe Biden.
You folks are so sad.
Is Politico a joke? Yes. Yes, it is.
“What Happened to Glenn Youngkin?”
— Douglas Ritz (@douglasritz) June 16, 2024
Absolutely nothing.
In fact, he might very well be Trump’s VP.
This is EXACTLY why Politico pushed the article out this morning.
Politico is basically the Burn Book from Mean Girls for Midwit Beltway types https://t.co/GQv8xSCeMK
— Hampton Prescott 🇺🇸 (@hampprescott) June 16, 2024
LOL. What a perfect characterization.
Politico rn pic.twitter.com/H2AMrakd6C
— doctor moron (@MoronDoctor_) June 16, 2024
They always do that meme.
What might be even funnier though than the people laughing AT Politico were the leftists who agreed with them ... in the way that only leftists can.
He’s a fascist endorsed by other fascists, trying to turn Virginia into a dictatorship. That’s what happened, Politico.
— Nikki4BidenHarris 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇺🇸🗳️💙 (@LMC4Democracy) June 16, 2024
HAHAHAHAHA. 'Fascist dictatorship.' Drink.
These 'Blue No Matter Who' sock puppets aside, however, most people advised Politico to stop taking drugs when writing articles.
“Got the memo! Here’s my article! May I have my biscuit?” https://t.co/0poEbe8Itf
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) June 16, 2024
Most journalists are identical to trained seals.
If a Democrat became governor in a double digit Republican state and then consistently had approval ratings higher than 50% then I don’t think Politico would be writing an article about how much of a failure they’ve been. https://t.co/U2ejiz6G0f
— Jacob Walters (@JacobWalters39) June 16, 2024
Any Democrat who did that would be hailed by the media as the Second Coming ... if any of them believed in God, that is. Maybe the second coming of Obama?
So desperate. So grasping. https://t.co/GKPRuKOnI7
— Isaac Schorr (@isaac_schorr) June 16, 2024
It is the world's worst cologne and the media slathers it on every day.
This is not journalism. https://t.co/aR0Wu2iNm9
— The Rare Normie Libertarian (@colorblindk1d) June 16, 2024
No, it is activism.
The "journalism" from the DC bubble activists that churn out this drivel is their way of coping with the ass whipping coming their way in November. Youngkin is a star. DeSantis is a star. Kemp is a star. The GOP will go BIG in the Senate...big enough to hold in 26 & 28. And Trump… https://t.co/yRy16JGsAD
— Jordan Doufexis (@JordanDoufexis) June 16, 2024
We hope those predictions are true. All of them.
This seems more like a preemptive hit piece than the actual political reality on the ground. Several polls now seem to be suggesting Virginia is in play for Trump. There are some signs the state is getting more comfortable with Republican leadership again. https://t.co/ONUfGZariY
— Just Anya 🐍 (@ImmortaINight) June 16, 2024
B-B-B-B-BINGO.
This article is one of the more insane things I’ve read from Politico and that’s a high bar.
— Bobby Trivett (@btrivett07) June 16, 2024
Youngkin regularly has approval ratings between 55%-65% in a Blue-ish state, the arena deal only came into play bc of the sh*tshow that is downtown DC right now. In the 2023 elections,… https://t.co/HL4QF2UwUB
This tweet concludes:
'In the 2023 elections, Republicans missed total control by a seat in each chamber and received more votes statewide. This was an article written with a pre-determined conclusion in mind. Lazy journalism-ing.'
Those last two sentences are Politico in a nutshell.
We don't know if Youngkin will be Trump's running mate pick. We don't know anyone who can really predict what Trump will do. If he is, then Youngkin not only can help deliver Virginia for Trump in 2024, but also will be well-positioned to run for President in 2028. If he is not, then he is well-positioned to run for the Senate seat currently held by Democrat Mark Warner in 2026.
In either case, Glenn Youngkin is still very popular in Virginia and has a pretty strong political future. No amount of hit pieces by Politico will be able to change that.
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