Maddow's Controversial Claim About Sen. J.D. Vance's Company Name
In a recent broadcast, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow presented a controversial theory regarding the name of Senator J.D. Vance’s company, suggesting it has hidden racial connotations.
During Thursday's segment, Maddow insinuated that former President Donald Trump’s running mate might have a white supremacist agenda by stating that his company, Narya, is essentially “ ‘Aryan’ but with the N moved forward.”
Maddow elaborated, "Like Mr. Thiel who has named his companies after things in the Lord of the Rings series of J.R.R. Tolkien books, Lord of the Rings is sort of a favorite cosmos for naming things and cultural references for a lot of far-right and alt-right figures within Europe and the United States,” she said, referencing billionaire Peter Thiel.
“Peter Thiel names things after Tolkien figures and places, like his company Palantir for example. Like his mentor, like Peter Thiel, who had given him all his jobs in the world, Mr. Vance also when he founded his own venture capital firm with help from Peter Thiel named it after a Lord of the Rings thing. He called it Narya — N-A-R-Y-A — which you can remember because it is Aryan but with the N moved forward. Apparently, that word has something to do with elves and rings from the Lord of the Rings series. I don’t know,” she said.
There is no evidence to support the claim that Vance harbors white supremacist views, making Maddow's assertion both unfounded and irresponsible.
In a memo to supporters sent on Wednesday, Vance outlined the path forward following his selection as Trump's running mate.
“When President Trump asked me to be his Vice Presidential Nominee, this is what I told him: ‘Mr. President, it would be an honor to serve as your Vice President. During your time in office, America was at its best. Our economy was roaring, our border was under control, our cities were safe, and we were respected overseas. As your Vice President, I will faithfully serve by your side and you make our country GREAT AGAIN!’” Vance said.
He added, “As my first act of being your Vice Presidential Nominee, I’m gathering One Million official Trump-Vance endorsements by the end of the day. President Trump will Make America Great Again, and I know together, we will win big.”
Earlier in the week, Vance recounted to Fox News host Sean Hannity how Trump approached him about joining the ticket on Monday night. Vance, known for his New York Times bestseller "Hillbilly Elegy," is a Yale Law School graduate, a former Marine, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022.
“He just said ‘look, I’ve gotta go save this country. I think you’re the guy who could help me in the best way, you can help me govern. You can help me win, you can help me in some of these Midwestern states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and so forth,’” Vance shared.
Vance also commented on Trump's legal challenges, specifically mentioning Special Counsel Jack Smith's indictment of Trump, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, a Biden appointee.
“Joe Biden is the one who’s tried to throw his political opposition in jail,” Vance stated, referring to the case involving Trump’s handling of classified documents which was dismissed by a Florida judge on Monday. Smith has since appealed the decision to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Joe Biden is the one who’s trying to undermine American law and order. President Trump did a really good job. And I actually think it’s a good thing. When you see somebody you were wrong about, you ought to admit the mistake and admit that you were wrong,” Vance concluded.