Both men have been suggested as potential successors to Trump if the current POTUS survives until 2028 and doesn't decide to try to cancel the election or run for a third term in spite of the U.S. Constitution's 22nd Amendment's presidential term limit.
Vance responded:
"I think it’s so interesting the media wants to create this conflict where there just isn’t any conflict. Marco’s doing a great job, I’m trying to do as good of a job as I can, the president’s doing a great job, we’re going to keep on working together."
MacCallum replied:
"But surely as Vice President you’d like to be President."
Vance’s reaction to the question was described by one viewer as the "most cartoonishly evil laugh" they ever heard.
You can watch it here:
While he laughed, Vance said:
"Would I‽"
With some more cackling, Vance added:
"Well, look, I think, again, I’m going to try to do as good of a job as I can right now. So one of the things that I don’t like about this question and this entire perspective is I’ve been in this job for all of a year."
Vance’s total lack of experience in civil service and knowledge of how the federal government works is something his critics have frequently pointed out. Financed and groomed for a political role by German immigrant and billionaire Peter Thiel, Vance’s first ever run for political office was in 2022 as the Republican Senate candidate for Ohio.
@chrissy64/Bluesky
Like Trump, Vance never held office at the local or state level, giving them no experience in government. Then after a little more than a year as a Senator, Vance was on the MAGA Republican ticket for Vice President.
People were disturbed by Vance’s laugh, but answered the question for him.
@gerstkitty/Bluesky
@katvanzan/Bluesky
@ghenguskahn/X
@theshawnstuckey.com/Bluesky
@starlightwishes/Bluesky
Vance concluded tap dancing around the direct question by saying:
"About six months ago—sorry, a year and six months ago—I asked the American people to give me this job that I have right now. Why don’t I do as good of a job as I can in this job, we’ll worry about the next job some time in the future."
Like most members of the Trump administration, Vance is waiting to see if Trump will try to violate the U.S. Constitution again by canceling elections he knows his enablers in the GOP will lose, canceling the next presidential election, running for a prohibited third term, or if his poor health and cognitive decline will catch up with him, before they commit to their own political aspirations.
They know the mere appearance of defying their Dear Leader will turn the ire of the MAGA minions on them.
They've all seen what happened to former Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney and resigned Georgia MAGA Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
That news inspired Colbert to make the following joke on his program:
"Noem is Corey's boss and possibly boss with benefits because that rumor is that the two of them are in a romantic relationship even though they're both married with children."
“If that romantic part is true, Corey — a word of warning: Avoid doggy style. Especially near the gravel pit."
You can hear what Colbert said in the video below.
- YouTube youtu.be
Colbert's joke referenced the fact that Noem once killed her "untrainable" 14-month-old puppy, Cricket, because she wasn't good at hunting and was too excitable.
Noem laid out the decision to kill the dog in her memoir No Going Back. She wrote that “Cricket was a wirehair pointer, about 14 months old" with an “aggressive personality." She said she "hated" the "untrainable" dog and decided to shoot Cricket after taking her to a gravel pit.
The disturbing anecdote first garnered attention after The Guardian reported on it, noting that Noem also wrote about killing a goat she claimed was "nasty and mean" and “loved to chase” Noem's children.
Noem has defended the decision to kill her dog, framing the story as an example of the grimmer aspects of farm life that sometimes have to be faced. She said she has "never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle" and that she had simply "followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor."
People saw exactly what Colbert was throwing down.
@margarete6888/YouTube
@johngalt0096/YouTube
@BiteyTheWombat/YouTube
@thenotoriousgryyn342/YouTube
@meredithmorgan5959/YouTube
@margaretgarls153/YouTube
@valramos2003/YouTube
@kokayinewsom9308/YouTube
@Joe_Montfort/YouTube
Noem really knows how to pick 'em—Lewandowski has also been embroiled in scandal.
Lewandowski was Trump's first campaign manager during his 2016 bid for office. His influence within the Trump campaign waned considerably once Paul Manafort came aboard.
He soon stepped down, facing lingering criticism from a scandal that erupted in March 2016 after he was charged with simple battery in connection with an alleged assault on a journalist. The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office ultimately declined to move forward with the case against Lewandowski.
Lewandowski said he was glad the charges were dismissed and eager to move past what he called a “huge distraction” for the campaign, adding that he appreciated Trump’s "loyalty."
