Vance (uninstigated) took umbrage at people claiming that he takes his marching orders from Tucker Carlson without denying it or noting that Carlson himself seems to see things that way. This is a sore point for him, and will tie his defenders up in knots as we approach 2028.
The default position, open to refutation, should be that Vance takes his marching orders from Tucker Carlson. The groundwork can be carefully laid for such an approach: personal ties and history, Carlson's own claims, plus an analysis of Vance's language as strategically modified
Carlsonspeak. The claim might be dented, as Vance has certainly been influenced by and affiliated with others, but I think it will hold up fairly well and bedevil his supporters.
I see among Vance supporters dismissiveness and ridicule regarding the possibility of hanging Carlson around Vance's neck but always with a tacit admission that it would be very bad if this were to happen. They know what Carlson is and would be hardpressed themselves to deny that
Vance is Carlson-lite--even more, they don't want to deny it because their open secret is that critical support for Vance lies in Carlson's endorsement. They will do everything they can to avoid questions about this, but that could be made very difficult.