Donald Trump Admits He Doesn’t See JD Vance As His Successor

If JD Vance was hoping Donald Trump would anoint him as his successor, he probably wasn’t thrilled by the president’s comments during his Fox News interview on Sunday.

After Brett Baier asked Trump if he saw Vance as his heir, the president quickly said, “No,” though he conceded his second vice president was “very capable.”

Still, Trump refused to endorse Vance as the next Republican presidential nominee after him, saying it was too soon.

“I think you have a lot of very capable people,” Trump told Baier. “So far I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early. We’re just starting.”

Baier noted that Vance would probably like to know where he stood with Trump by November next year, saying, “By the time we get to get to the midterms, [Vance] is going to be looking for an endorsement.”

However, Trump ignored that and instead pivoted to one of his favorite tactics for avoiding something he doesn’t want to speak on: praising himself.

“A lot of people have said that this has been the greatest opening — almost three weeks — in the history of the presidency,” Trump said.

You can see the exchange below.

Baier’s complete interview with Trump is set to air on Fox News Monday night.

Earlier in the day, he promoted the interview to fellow Fox News personality Martha MacCallum and admitted that it was “a little shocking when [Trump] said ‘no’” to his question about Vance.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Baier added. “Once you get to the midterms, you start to think about 2028, and obviously one would think that JD Vance is going to be trying to position for that role, but clearly the president is not ready to talk about that or think about it. He says that there are other people that may get in the mix.”

One person on social media noted that, although it’s early for an endorsement, the reaction to Trump’s answer would’ve probably been different if former President Joe Biden had responded similarly about his vice president, Kamala Harris.

Others thought the comment was just more proof that Trump has no loyalty toward anyone but himself.

Others suggested the comment wasn’t a diss toward Vance and instead a sign that Trump has no plans to leave after his second term is over in 2028, something he has hinted at before.