In order to earn a position at Donald Trump‘s side, you need to have one of two things: A few billion dollars to toss around, or record-low levels of shame.
JD Vance is no billionaire, which means he had no choice but to sell his pride, dignity, and any remaining shame he had left to buy his way into the president’s administration. He managed that quite successfully, but it seems even a position as Trump’s vice president isn’t enough to win him the orange man’s favor.
From essentially the precise moment Elon Musk signed onto Team Trump, Vance has been a footnote at best. He surrendered the position of vice president in all but name, and now exists as a fringe figure haunting Trump events but lending exactly nothing of actual impact to the conversation. He’s spent the early weeks in his new job largely sitting on the sidelines, tweeting out wild opinions to promote the appearance of productivity while actually twiddling his thumbs and waiting desperately for Trump to notice him.
47, meanwhile, is far too busy spiraling into either insanity or dementia to pick up on Vance’s cues. It all equals out to a thoroughly embarrassing experience for Vance, who’s had to walk back previous criticisms of Trump on numerous occasions. But at least it bought him a lofty position that poises him to succeed Trump, right? Right?
Sorry Vance, but it seems your boss has other plans. Trump exposed just how little he cares for his own Veep in an early February interview, in which he struck Vance a humiliating blow. When asked by Fox News’s Bret Baier if he sees Vance as his “successor,” and “the Republican nominee in 2028,” Trump responded with a resounding “no.”
He lamely tried to soften the blow by adding that Vance is “very capable,” but the damage was already done. That unthinking “no” revealed exactly how much respect Trump holds for Vance, and as it turns out he really does have something in common with the vast majority of Americans.
It honestly makes me feel a bit bad for Vance. This is a man who sold his soul, his spine, his dignity, and even his own family for a chance at Trump’s administration, and it wasn’t because he loves Trump. No, this “never Trump guy” only signed on because he saw benefits in it for his own career, and someday he wants to be the man making executive actions.
But Trump’s plan doesn’t include Vance as a successor. It revolves entirely around Trump, which means that two and only two outcomes are likely. Trump has a successor in mind, and their last name is absolutely, inarguably Trump. There’s an extremely slim chance that the man will actually adhere to United States law and decline to attempt a third term, in which case he’ll very likely endorse one of his children as the next Republican star, but the alternative is far more likely.
JD Vance can’t be Donald Trump’s successor, because Donald Trump wants to be his own successor. Vance can’t be the 2028 Republican nominee because Trump already intends to fill that position himself. And if there’s any way to make it happen — legal or not — there’s a very real chance that Trump will be running again in a few short years.
Published: Feb 11, 2025 02:19 pm