I mean it’s getting under trumps skin because he isn’t interested in valid criticisms and only understands schoolyard level insults.
It’s working as a message on the general public even more so because Vance and Trump’s messaging has gotten further from the original populism and more focused on an in group or his qult or whatever.
I don’t think “weird” is working in the sense of having any marked impact on racism
Russia has nukes, Iran doesn’t… (yet although trump may well have fucked that up)