DELAWARE, OH - APRIL 23: (L-R) J.D. Vance, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, shakes hands with former President Donald Trump during a rally hosted by the former president at the Delaware County Fairgrounds on April 23, 2022 in Delaware, Ohio. Last week, Trump announced his endorsement of J.D. Vance in the Ohio Republican Senate primary. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump said it’s too early to decide whether he will anoint Vice President JD Vance as his “successor” ahead of the 2028 election.
In an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Trump was asked, “Do you view Vice President JD Vance as your successor, the Republican nominee 2028?”
“No, but he’s competent,” Trump replied, “I think you have a lot of competent people; so far, I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early. We’re just starting.”
“By the time we get to the midterms,” Baier interjected, “[Vance] is going to be looking for an endorsement.”
“A lot of people have said that this has been the greatest opening almost three weeks in the history of the presidency,” Trump went on without answering the question.
The conversation aired hours after Vance, 40, landed in France with his family for the start of his first trip as vice president. The VP attended an artificial intelligence summit in Paris. During the weekend, Vance traveled to the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Trump’s decision not to endorse Vance as his successor aligns with his attempt to avoid calling attention to the fact he is constitutionally obligated to leave office when he finishes his second term in January 2029. The president has frequently mused about changing the Constitution to serve a third term. It could also be a method to avoid “lame duck” status that could sap his political power.
Vance is the second-youngest vice president in U.S. history, following John C. Breckinridge, who took office in 1857 at 36. Trump selected Vance as his running mate in July 2024 at the urging of his son, Donald Trump Jr.
Vance shares Trump’s populist views. The vice president previously represented Ohio in the Senate for two years and worked as a venture capitalist and lawyer.
Vance has been a loyal MAGA foot soldier so far. Last month, he broke the tie in the U.S. Senate to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary.
Trump is not the first to avoid supporting the vice president’s aspirations for higher office. Former President Barack Obama discouraged Joe Biden from running for president in 2016, allowing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to claim the Democratic nomination. Ironically, Biden ran in 2020 and won the White House, succeeding in defeating Trump where Clinton had failed.
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