During the tour for his best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, JD Vance sought first-class flights, private cars, and speaking fees from public universities across the Midwest, a report has claimed.
The book tour which took place in 2017 forced at least one university to call off plans for his appearance over concerns about the cost- where he was charging as much as $40,000, Politico reports.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison, in February 2017, reached out to Vance’s publisher to inquire about bringing him to campus after Hillbilly Elegy was named a finalist for the university’s Go Big Read program.
The university was informed that Vance’s fee for a 45-minute talk, a Q&A session, and a book signing would be $25,000, in addition to covering first-class airfare, hotel stays, meals, and transportation.
Records obtained by Politico were revealed in emails obtained through a public records request.
Months later, when talks resumed, the speaking fee had gone back up to $40,000.
As the university and Vance’s representatives worked toward a potential January 2018 visit, the school eventually withdrew, citing both the timing and the cost as challenges they couldn’t overcome, the Politico report claims.
The university still used Hillbilly Elegy as part of the program but replaced Vance’s appearance with a panel of local experts instead.
Emails related to Vance’s speaking engagements offer a glimpse into his career trajectory as his memoir gained widespread attention.
At the same time, the contrast between his political views then and his current, more combative defence of Donald Trump adds another layer of interest to his rapid rise.
The Associated Press previously reported that Vance earned at least $70,000 from speaking engagements at 18 universities. For instance, shortly after the release of his memoir, he received $15,500 for an appearance at Bowling Green State University.
Politico also reported that when asked for comment, a spokesperson for Vance defended his speaking fees, stating that his compensation was in line with what other well-known authors earn.
‘It’s widely recognized that, like many best-selling authors, Senator Vance was paid for speaking events after the success of Hillbilly Elegy,’ said William Martin.
He went on to criticize Politico’s focus on the issue, adding, that high profile Democrats like Obama, and the Clintons have earned millions for public appearances and speaking fees over the years.
Martin further defended Vance by saying that Politico should be ’embarrassed’ to report on something irrelevant to what ‘American voters care about’.
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