Things are getting a little awkward for Vice President J.D. Vance after President Donald Trump immediately shot down the notion that Vance would be his "successor" to run in 2028.
In an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, Trump replied quickly when asked if he views Vance as his "successor" and the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2028 presidential election:
"No."
But to be fair, Trump elaborated, insisting:
"But he's very capable. I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far, I think he's doing a fantastic job. It's too early, we're just starting."
When Baier pointed out that "by the time we get to the midterms, [Vance] will be looking for an endorsement," Trump dodged the question entirely:
"A lot of people have said that this has been the greatest opening, almost three weeks, in the history of the presidency. We've done so much so fast and we've really had to because what they've done to our country is so sad. We're going to be bigger and better and stronger than ever before."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Vance is widely regarded as a potential future presidential candidate following his elevation to the vice presidency by Trump last year—but not all Republicans are fully on board with him.
Notably, Vance's favorability ratings on the campaign trail were initially low. While they have improved over time, he remains 2.6 points underwater, according to FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate polling.
Vance's past criticism of Trump continues to linger, despite his later pivot to becoming a staunch supporter and key ally in 2022.
Critics have drawn attention to Vance's previous identity as a "Never Trumper" who once described Trump as "America's Hitler" and "cultural heroin" unable to regard the needs of the working class.
In 2016, Vance frequently criticized Trump in interviews tied to his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which had positioned him as a notable voice on rural America and Trump’s ascent in politics. He argued that the then-Republican presidential nominee offered empty promises that wouldn’t address the problems plaguing communities like his hometown in Ohio.
Additionally, he referred to Trump as an “idiot” in tweets that have since been deleted. During an August 2016 NPR interview, he mentioned that he might consider voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton if he believed Trump had a chance of winning.
Prior to his Senate campaign, Vance apologized for previously calling Trump “reprehensible," telling CNN in 2021 that "I regret being wrong about the guy" while declaring that Trump was a good president.
Trump himself is a sucker for flattery and Vance's prior remarks appeared not to bother him when he and Vance appeared on Fox News for a joint interview during which he shared the real reason he picked Vance as his running mate:
“We’ve always had a good chemistry. And originally, JD was probably not for me but he didn’t know me. And then, when we got to know each other, he liked me, maybe more than anybody liked me. And he would stick up for me and he’d fight for the worker as much as I fight for the worker.”
“We just had an automatic chemistry."
Trump's blunt rejection of Vance went viral and the message was pretty clear: All that sucking up only to get tossed under the bus.
He has installed himself as a king and he does have an heir and a spare…sorry JD, you’re not in the line of succession.
— cheddargram.bsky.social (@cheddargram.bsky.social) February 10, 2025 at 6:24 PM
That “NO” was fast and hard. JD has zero chance.
— lolitab4.bsky.social (@lolitab4.bsky.social) February 10, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Narcissists get very uncomfortable when forced to consider a world that continues after them.
— CleverNickname23 (@clevernickname23.bsky.social) February 10, 2025 at 4:03 PM
The ego of this guy is off the charts lol He can't even give a simple endorsement to his vice president
— fat garfield (@fatgarfield.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 10:10 AM
On another level, Trump's remarks may hint that he doesn't intend to leave office at all.
Three days after Trump was sworn in for his second term, Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee introduced a constitutional amendment to allow presidents to run for a third term, something that is currently prohibited by the Constitution.
While the Constitution prevents him from seeking a third term, Trump, at the start of his second week back in office, once again suggested that presidential term limits might be open to negotiation while addressing House Republicans at their annual retreat in Florida.
At the time, he said:
“I’ve raised a lot of money for the next race that I assume I can’t use for myself, but I’m not 100 percent sure because I don’t know. I think I’m not allowed to run again. I’m not sure. Am I allowed to run again?”
Since then, he has repeatedly floated the idea; the New York Times noted that in public, Trump "couches the notion of staying in office beyond two terms as a humorous aside." But in private, he has told advisers that it’s just one of many tactics he uses to capture attention and provoke Democrats, according to people familiar with his comments.
