JD Vance: Loyal Follower, But not a Credible Leader
The past year has shown that Donald Trump made a smart choice of JD Vance as his running mate. While some in MAGAland questioned the suitability of Vance, a young Senator who had once referred to Trump as "reprehensible, "idiot", "cynical asshole" and "America's Hitler", Trump saw him as pliable clay that he could easily mold into the perfect second banana. In Vance he saw echoes of himself, a transactional guy whose self-interest trumped such things as morality and consistency. Trump nailed it.
Vance has always known his place and his job. He backs up his boss at every opportunity, praising him and echoing even Trump's most outrageous stances on every issue. Whether it's accusing Haitian immigrants of stealing and eating pet cats and dogs, ganging up in the Oval Office with Trump on Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, or insisting that the president's private army of ICE goons have "absolute immunity" to break the law and kill American citizens, Vance has been the ultimate boot-licking yes man. We will never see him even consider invoking the 25th Amendment to curb Trump's dementia-fueled excesses.
Many consider JD Vance as the natural successor and Republican nominee in 2028. But what does he really have to offer? He is showing no signs of independence or even originality. Like Karoliine Leavitt and Pam Bondi, he says what he is told to say and does what he is told to do. Unlike Stephen Miller or any of Trump's billionaire donors, he doesn't seem to have a hand in shaping policy.
When the shoulder he has been perched on for years goes away in 2028, can anyone realistically endorse turning over the ship to this pale parrot?
Posted Jan 14, 2026, 12:06 AM UTC