There has been a lot competing for our attention this week. This off-the-script moment from Vice President JD Vance at the GOP midterm convention should not be missed.

It has been a heavy week. It marked the first year since Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It’s been 14 years since Benghazi, which so often gets overlooked, but possesses an incredible amount of signficance and fault that has never been fully reckoned with. Which is probably why this week was chosen for the GOP to hold their “midterm” convention to grab the attention of the base, in order to promote getting out the vote and important candidates in pivotal elections. (Someone should have probably checked the calendar and maybe adjusted slightly for the start of the NFL season, but perhaps that didn’t matter much to the ratings.)

There were many attention-getting moments at the midterm convention in Dallas. The one that sent the Democrats into absolute fits was the video message sent by the last sane Democrat in Congress, John Fetterman.
https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2097826780514066640
Fetterman’s video makes complete sense when you consider just how purple Pennsylvania is, but Democrats, and other spectators, think he’s signaling that he’s preparing to switch parties.

My prediction is Fetterman will switch parties if Abdul El-Sayed wins the Michigan race. https://t.co/1vjqMdTNPe

— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) September 10, 2026

The problem is that Fetterman is still a “progressive” Democrat. The red line for him consists of two things – national security, and support for Israel. I could see Fetterman becoming an independent, but not a Republican. Even with his red lines, he still votes 80% of the time with Democrats. Republicans would be better off with one sane Democrat occassionally crossing party lines than having Fetterman caucus with them. Even Lisa Murkowski has a better voting record with Republicans than John Fetterman’s mere 20 percent. Still, having that video message appear at the convention was an optics coup.

Another moment that should not be missed was Angel Mom Jessica Gorman’s plea to the country. Her daughter Sheridan was murdered by an illegal alien who should have never been on the streets.

"We were asked to testify before Congress… But only one side even cared."

Jessica Gorman says she "snapped" while testifying before Congress about the killing of her 18-year-old daughter, Sheridan, and sanctuary policies because "Democratic representatives couldn't even… pic.twitter.com/UoKm9IT3AW

— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 11, 2026

“We were asked to testify before Congress… But only one side even cared.”

Jessica Gorman says she “snapped” while testifying before Congress about the killing of her 18-year-old daughter, Sheridan, and sanctuary policies because “Democratic representatives couldn’t even pretend to care for five minutes.”

“It was despicable.”

“A fellow angel mom, Patty Fox, recently said, you need to love America, Americans more than you hate Trump… You are so right.”

Then, a plea that goes beyond party lines: “We need to love our country and our children enough to come together, regardless of which party or person is in charge.”

Jessica Gorman then presented a “buddy bench” to Congress in honor of her daughter.

The bench was crafted by a law enforcement officer in North Carolina who spent some 200 hours hand-crafting the bench.

“May this bench remind us to see those who feel alone, to choose kindness and to remember every life that leaves an empty seat,” an inscription on the bench read.

After showing off the bench, Gorman invited Rep. Mike Lawler to be the first to sit on it on stage.

Congressman Lawler, who has become friends with the Gorman family in their grief and search for justice, sat on the bench with Jessica Gorman in a tribute to Sheridan, and to all those grieving Angel families.

Angel mom says Congress needs a Buddy Bench, as only one side cared about her daughter's death at the hands of an illegal. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) is the first congressman to sit on this beautiful handcrafted bench. It was made by a N.C. law enforcement officer. With love. pic.twitter.com/qtnSJpPHQY

— Izzy (@No_MI_Take) September 10, 2026

The winning soundbite from the convention, however, came from Vice President Vance. President Trump spoke, but it was JD Vance who went off script and came away with a viral clip.

While no one was able to electrify the crowded arena of MAGA faithful quite like Trump, Vance was left a clear lane in the limelight on the final day, and the audience ate it up with chants urging him to run in 2028.

“Let’s take care of business this November, then we’ll worry about what comes next,” Vance told the crowd chanting “JD 28,” unable to conceal his smile.

The Ohioan’s style also drew a sharp contrast from Trump. While Trump fired up the crowd with his signature “weave,” in which he freewheels and meanders from the script, Vance largely stuck to his prepared remarks.

One exception to that came when an angry, purple-shirt-wearing protester interrupted his speech, heckling him while waving a Mexican flag.

“Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your ass over there,” Vance quipped as security hauled the man away.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I had a whole speech written,” the veep continued. “But I think I gotta change it because we just discovered the symbol of the far left: an idiot waving … a Mexican flag at a protest when he should be waving the flag of the United States of America.”

Vance is correct that we have to get out the vote in November, or everything that President Trump wants to get done will be hamstrung by his lame-duck status and a Congress looking to impeach him at the drop of a hat. And his viral retort is certainly a good one. But it is way, way, WAY too soon to anoint him the next GOP presidential nominee. First, we have to get through these midterms. And if the Republicans fail to at least hold the Senate, then the next two years are going to be rough. Second, any GOP nominee is going to have to contend with Trump’s record without being Trump. The 2024 coalition is not going to be rebuilt, and any Republican candidate who thinks they can out-MAGA Donald Trump is going to fail. It will be time to retire that slogan and let the nominee come up with their own identity. Vance will have to prove himself on the national stage without Donald Trump headlining the ticket. That will be a tall order for anyone. Finally, two years is an eternity in politics. A viral moment is good for about a day to a week, and then everyone moves on. JD Vance did a solid job at the convention. It will be up to him to keep building the case to make him the nominee in 2028.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click