Vice President J.D. Vance was in Yorba Linda, California for an interview at the at the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library and Museum days after returning from Switzerland, where he negotiated terms in the Nuclear Disarmament Memorandum of Understanding with officials from the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was my good fortune to be at that interview.
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The New York Times is not prone to be pro-conservative, pro-faith, or pro-anyone in the Trump Administration. Vance’s latest book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, is in first place on the New York Times bestseller list.
Death threats to President Donald J. Trump and to Vice President Vance and other members of the administration caused event security to be tight. Security for attendees started a week earlier, with a live telephone interview to answer questions, including my passport number. One day before the event, official parking passes and digital “tickets” were issued. No handbags, but small clutch-type purses were allowed and searched. Access to the library parking lot was not allowed. The entrance had metal detectors. Hundreds of county sheriffs and untold numbers of Secret Service and FBI agents were positioned to keep the vice president safe.
The street was closed to traffic. At the crosswalk, walking uphill to the library, we encountered two groups of protesters. On one side of the walk, they shouted insults, waving anti-American, anti-ICE signs and flags. Police vehicles and an armed human defense line of uniformed county sheriffs held them at bay. Demonstrators on the other side of the walk had “Free the Iranian People” signs and life-size posters of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah’s son. The Persians were serious, with dignity — a contrast to the rabid anti-ICE crowd.
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J.D. Vance entered the platform to a standing ovation and thunderous applause. We have seen him on television. He is exactly that same in person. Quiet intelligence peeks out. He is grateful and happy to be where he is. Vance seems a truthful man who loves his wife Usha, his family, and his country and trusts that God has a plan, even if he does not understand it.
Reminiscent of Mark Twain and with a touch of humor, Vance talked about his grandmother, childhood, education, and mistakes on his journey back to faith. He gave each of us a copy of Communion, which reveals how he regained his faith and discusses his conversion to Catholicism, how his faith guides his work in public life, and how it shapes his thoughts about the future. Reading about Vance’s journey is at the top of my list.
The writer is an internationally published writer, a former English teacher, stockbroker, and owner/president of a small corporation. She is active with Republican Women and The Lincoln Club and can be reached at [email protected].
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Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.