(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump phoned into NewsNation’s town hall with his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Thursday to ask his vice presidential pick to describe how “brilliant” he is.
“How brilliant is Donald J. Trump?” the former president jokingly asked and then quipped that the “answer should be easy.”
Trump’s question elicited a burst of laughter from Vance, who answered, “Of course, you’re very brilliant.”
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Vance then jumped into the story of the first time his wife Usha met the former president in an attempt to show Trump’s relatability while his running mate stayed on the call.
He said his wife was nervous about meeting Trump but that the former president made a joke off the bat that “immediately broke the barrier.”
“It wasn’t the former president. It was just a person talking to my wife,” he said of the interaction. “That ability to relate to anybody in any environment — I think that’s the true brilliance of Donald J. Trump.”
The former president returned the praise, calling his running mate’s campaign performance “fantastic” and saying that he couldn’t be happier as Vance has “captivated” voters.
Trump also sarcastically asked Vance how brilliant his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, was, which Vance said would be “tough” to answer.
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The former president also did not forgo the opportunity to say that he was leading by a “landslide” in the polls during his brief call.
“We’re very happy about it,” he said.
A Decision Desk HQ/The Hill election forecast showed Trump having a slight lead Thursday, with polling still showing that the outcome remains a toss-up.