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(CNN) --
At first glance, Donald Trump's endorsement of author JD Vance in the Republican primary for Senate in Ohio doesn't make much sense.
Vance's campaign hasn't exactly taken off, and in the past there's that pesky problem that he criticized Trump (and Trump voters).
And even so ...
"It's time for the entire MAGA movement, the largest in our country's history, to come together behind JD's campaign because, unlike so many other pretenders and wannabes, he will put America first," Trump said in a statement. a statement on Friday announcing the endorsement.
"In other words, JD Vance has my full and total backing. He will not let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
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Why?
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I can explain it all in one word.
Ready?
"Celebrity".
Trump is attracted to other famous people.
He thinks that famous people have "it", a factor that distinguishes them from normal people.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that Trump sees himself as a celebrity first and foremost.
He likes the people who are in the club with him.
It's that easy.
US Senate candidate JD Vance speaks to potential voters on the campaign trail on April 11, 2022 in Troy, Ohio.
(Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images)
This is a sample of Trump's endorsements so far in 2022:
He endorsed Herschel Walker in the Georgia Senate race.
Walker was a college and NFL star.
He supported Sarah Palin in the House special election in Alaska.
Palin, who served as governor of Alaska, was the Republican vice-presidential nominee in 2008 and later — and perhaps more importantly for Trump's purposes — a reality TV star.
He supported Mehmet Oz in the Pennsylvania Senate race.
Oz gained fame and notoriety for over a decade.
By endorsing Oz, Trump gave us a glimpse of his thinking.
"When you're on television for 18 years, that's like a poll," the former president said.
"That means people like you."
That is a tremendously revealing quote.
It shows that the way Trump consumes and interacts with culture is through television.
That is his lens on the world.
As The New York Times wrote about Trump's television habits in April 2020:
“President Trump arrives in the Oval Office these days until noon, when he is usually in a bad mood after his morning TV marathon.
He has been awake in the White House master bedroom since 5 am watching Fox News, then CNN, adding a portion of MSNBC that he watches furiously.
He makes calls with the TV on in the background, it's his routine since he first came to the White House."
Which means that if you're on TV — as Vance, Walker, Palin and Oz have been, in various guises over the years — Trump cares about you.
Trump's assessment of Vance then, in contrast to his statement on the decision, is largely based on this assumption.
Vance is good on television, ergo, in Trump's mind, Vance is just good.
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Trump hinted at that belief in his statement Friday, arguing why Vance is better positioned to beat the likely Democratic nominee, US Rep. Tim Ryan.
“I have studied this race closely and I think JD is the most likely to take out the weak but dangerous Democratic opponent, dangerous because he will have a lot of money to spend,” Trump said.
"However, JD will destroy him in debates and fight for the MAGA Movement in the Senate."
The debates are key for Trump because they are televised performances.
And because Vance, the famous author of "Hillbilly Elegy," has been on TV, he'll be good at those debates.
When it comes to Trump, don't overthink why he does what he does.
The simplest answer is almost always the correct one.
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