Trump Phones in to Vance Town Hall to Ask, ‘How Brilliant Is Donald J. Trump?’

Vice presidential nominee JD Vance fielded a question from the top of the Republican ticket during a town hall hosted by Chris Cuomo on NewsNation on Thursday.

The Ohio senator took questions on a host of topics for an hour that at one point was interrupted by a planned phone call from former President Donald Trump. during which the town hall got chummy.

“We have a call right now from former President Donald John Trump,” Cuomo declared to an audience of undecided voters, many of whom clapped upon Trump’s introduction. “He wants to weigh in. Mr. President, I know there’s a little bit of a delay. Can you hear us, and what is your question?”

“Well, I can hear you, Chris, and I do have a question,” Trump said. “And I think it will be quite an interesting one. The answer should be easy. How brilliant is Donald J. Trump?”

Vance and the audience laughed.

“Take your time, think about it,” Cuomo said.

“Well, first of all, Sir, this is supposed to be undecided voters. I would hope that I have your vote, of all people. But here’s– first of all, Sir, of course, you’re very brilliant. And we both agree. We both agree that it’s important to have smart people running the government.”

Vance proceeded to lay it on thick, praising Trump’s “ability to relate to anybody in any environment,” stating that “that’s the true brilliance of Donald J. Trump.”

“That’s very nice, and I appreciate it,” Trump replied. “Maybe I’ll ask a second one. I watched, believe it or not, CNN last night. And in watching it, I watched the town hall with Kamala. Let me ask you for a second [unintelligible] and it was not good. How brilliant is Kamala?”

Vance laughed nervously.

“That’s a very tough one, Sir,” he responded. “I’m supposed to say something–”

“Don’t say it,” Trump interrupted. The former president then dubiously claimed he and Vance are “leading by a landslide” in the polls.

He then bid Cuomo and Vance adieu to applause.

Watch above via NewsNation.