The Atlantic Reprints JD Vance's 2014 Anti-Trump Essay

The Atlantic republished a 2014 essay by JD Vance that characterized Donald Trump as "cultural heroin." This republication occurred on July 20, 2024, exactly 10 years after the original essay was written, coinciding with the United States' semiquincentennial.

In an editor's note accompanying the republished piece, The Atlantic stated its intention was to allow readers to "judge for themselves how well his assessment [of Trump] … has stood the test of time." The essay's reappearance highlights Vance's significant political evolution from a vocal critic of Trump during Trump's first term to his current role as a prominent supporter and potential vice-presidential candidate.

Vance's original writing expressed strong reservations about Trump's character and appeal, framing him as a figure who tapped into a specific cultural malaise. The decision by The Atlantic to re-feature this essay now, a decade later, draws attention to the shifting political landscape and Vance's own trajectory within it. The magazine's editorial choice aims to provide a historical benchmark for evaluating Vance's past judgments against his present political alignment.