Vance photograph: Alex Wong. Walz photograph: Justin Sullivan.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and his eldest son, Don Jr., say they are thrilled with Sen. J.D. Vance’s performance on the campaign trail in comparison to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in exclusive conversations with the Daily Caller.

Trump Jr., who was one of the main forces behind Vance becoming his father’s running mate, explained to the Caller that people were “wrong” about Vance and said that he “understood the guy.” Trump Jr. and other campaign officials highlighted Vance’s media appearances, saying he is not scared to go against the liberal mainstream media, whereas Walz has continued to dodge questions from reporters on the campaign trail and has yet to sit down for a one-on-one interview since becoming the Democratic VP nominee.

“I’ve known him well and for a long time. I understand his talents. And I think every Sunday when I watch the Sunday shows or frankly, any other media, I am continually reaffirmed that me going all in for J.D. was 100% the right move,” Trump Jr. told the Caller. “But what’s also interesting is there’s plenty of people that were sort of, let’s just say, J.D. Vance, not necessarily fans or perhaps indifferent, who have since reached out to me knowing my push, knowing that they were probably pushing different directions who are straight up saying, ‘Don you are 100% right on that one. I got it wrong.’ And he’s absolutely kicking ass out on the campaign trail right now.”

Regarding other possible picks, Trump Jr. said that he believes the media would have treated whoever his father picked with disdain.

“I think the media would have done the attacks on everyone and anyone that Trump ever picked. That’s their job, as sort of the lapdog propagandists of the Democrat machine. I think they went particularly hard on J.D. But those hits just don’t fall well, because his backstory, his life story, as articulate as he is, the way he prosecutes the case,” he said. “J.D. does better in a hostile media territory than the very vast majority of Republicans do on even Fox News. And so the way he’s able to prosecute that case against the Democrats, the Harris-Biden regime, their failures, it’s just been incredible to watch.”

One of the main reasons Trump Jr. said he pushed for Vance was due to his support for the America First movement, which he said he thinks Vance can “keep going in an age beyond Trump.”

“So I think he’s just shown a level of commitment to the movement that’s amazing. I think you combine that with his other talents, his youth,” Trump Jr. told the Caller. “And my dad will be a part of this thing for hopefully a very long time. But we don’t have much of a bench on the conservative side, certainly not on the America First side that can actually play the game the way it needs to be played against the Democrats, who have just been steamrolling us for years. I think he’s one of those rare talents, on our side. So, I think I recognized that earlier than most, I think others are starting to finally get it now, and that’s great.”

“You can’t put Tim Walz and JD Vance in the same category for comparison. I mean it’s not even close,” Trump Jr. added.

Meanwhile, sources on the Trump campaign and National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt all echoed their support for Vance as Trump’s running mate and heavily criticized Walz, who has come under fire for signing legislation in favor of putting tampons in boys bathrooms, accusations of stolen valor and his history and relationship with China.

“Senator JD Vance honorably served our country in the US Marines and has truly lived the American Dream. He has proven to be a great asset to President Trump and our campaign as he barnstorms the country meeting with voters and owning the fake news media. Senator Vance certainly serves as a strong and sharp contrast to Weirdo Tim Walz, who has been one of the most radical liberal governors in the country and supports insane policies, like putting tampons in men’s bathrooms,” Leavitt told the Caller.

A senior Trump campaign official added that they are surprised Democrats have not found a way to replace Walz on their ticket, saying he is only hurting Democrats’ chance of defeating Trump.

“It’s shocking that the Democrats haven’t already done the rumored switcharoo on VP. Walz is terrible for their ticket. He came to the dance with a record of lies about his military resume, he can’t face the press without a babysitter, and despite being Governor of Minnesota, their ticket has actually lost ground in polling there since he was selected,” the senior Trump campaign official told the Caller.

Another Trump campaign official said Vance is “killing it” and has done a good job on the campaign trail.

“Besides President Trump himself, he’s the strongest advocate there is for President Trump’s policies. And unlike Kamala Harris, he’s willing to go into the lion’s den. He’ll go on Meet the Press, CNN, wherever, he’ll go do an interview, and he’ll take tough questions and he’ll come back with great answers and I think he’s been executing the case. and he’s been aggressively on the campaign trail. And we’re happy. He’s killing it,” the Trump campaign official said.

Longtime Republican strategist John Ashbrook told the Caller that Vance is “absolutely crushing it” and called Walz a phony.

“He refuses to let opposition dictate the terms of any debate and clearly delivers a message about fixing our economy and securing our border. It was very smart of President Trump to elevate the voice of a poor kid from Middletown, Ohio, who echoes the sentiments of the overlooked millions he fights for every day,” Ashbrook said. “And he offers a stark authenticity contrast with Tim Walz who’s spent his lengthy political career pretending to be something he’s not.”