Vice-President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both want to succeed Trump as President and ruler of MAGA. Alas, as the signature line from The Highlander movie says “There can only be one.” Trump of course holds both wannabes in contempt but lately seems to acknowledge he won’t live forever and that someone will have to carry on to protect what he sees as his legacy. Vance has quietly assumed, and even been talked about as the heir apparent. Marco Rubio has never shaken off Trump labeling him Little Marco. For the moment however Vance finds himself on the outside looking in and Little Marco being pushed front and center. Vance got frozen out as the administration started trying to sell it’s starting a war with Iran.
Yep, we heard from Trump (of course) Karoline Leavitt headed up the Communications Team. Rubio was tasked with looping in Congress. Even Petey “Warrior Pete” Hegseth turned up with Trump at Mar a Lago. However VP Vance might as well have been in Witness Protection in the aftermath of the start of the bombings. As The Daily Beast reports Vance got frozen out:
Vice President JD Vance has been left out in the cold by Donald Trump as the United States wages war on Iran.
Vance has made no secret of his skepticism over America’s involvement in foreign wars, and sources say the split has affected his relationship with the president. As everyone else in Trump’s inner circle took on key assignments for the unauthorized strike on Iran, Vance was notably absent.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and the national security team joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday as the strikes were launched on Iran in Saturday’s early hours.
Ok, I’ll admit this made my head spin. Vance is no more qualified than Hegseth to be involved in major military decisions but one doesn’t have to have decades of training and experience in actual war fighting to bring some common sense to evaluating whether starting a war with Iran was a good idea. Yet Vance seemed to grasp that it was a mistake to go in, especially half-cocked. In this case he actually does know MAGA better than Trump does. Yes, lots of MAGA is reflexively backing up their Trumpty but many are already speaking out in the negative and I guarantee you most don’t like what Trump has done.
They might not openly criticize him but the ‘this ain’t what I voted for’ sentiment in MAGAs is widespread I assure you. Add this in with being pissed over the foot-dragging on the Epstein files and a big crack might open in Trump’s MAGA base. That friends it what’s on the mind of Congressional Republicans who are going to have to confront their own power and whether to take it back from Trump. Resolutions are being introduced in both the Senate and House to stop this. Many in the GOP need MAGA as much as Trump does. Whether standing up to Trump will score them points with the base or hurt them is to me a choice that might as well be made by flipping a coin. They are going to HAVE to pick a side and it will be interesting to see how resentment towards Trump for putting them in such a position will play out in votes on other matters as the year progresses.
However, let’s get back to J.D. and Little Marco. Rubio was when picked thought to be a marginally qualified candidate for SecState but barely. No one expected him to be much of a force either with Trump or on the world stage. Like I said Trump branded him Little Marco years ago and he’ll never shake that. Vance has assumed that as VP sliding up to the top job is almost a birthright and has taken care not to provoke Trump’s wrath by seeming over eager to do so. To me it seems like playing the dutiful servant and cheerleader was his best strategy to someday be ‘officially’ anointed as the inheritor of MAGA. Not that Trump wants ANYONE to be a successor but he might grudgingly pick someone he thinks will best carry on his work when he’s gone. However he’s going to have some fun with aspirants in the meantime by making them sweat. And kiss his fat ass. And other things I’ll be polite and not say.
If you have dug deep into Trump’s history then you know during his time as just a business guy his management style at the Trump Org was to pit everyone below him against each other. In part because he’s just an a-hole, but there was always another reason. It kept someone else from getting favorable notice from his father. Donald was only a reluctant choice as Fred’s #2. The habit became ingrained and even after taking over Trump ruled his little empire that way, and he’s done the same as President.
As king of at least MAGA Trump would rather subordinates fight each other than settle on a clear successor. J.D. Vance has been cruising along however, and was thought to be best positioned. Raising doubts to Trump about the Iran plan landed him in the doghouse. Rubio isn’t happy about all this either because he’s been quietly pushing Trump to help him with his own wet-dream of invading and taking over Cuba. However as much as he’s wanted that (the U.S. taking over Cuba) for so long, he made the choice to STFU and back Trump’s priority. Maybe Rubio figures he can just wait and as President someday do it himself! What we know is that Vance belief that MAGA won’t like us getting into a war in the middle east caused him to speak up – and get himself sidelined:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was tasked with informing lawmakers about the impending attack, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was heading up the communications team.
But nothing was heard from Vance in the immediate aftermath of the bombings.
While Vance and Rubio were vying for Trump’s attention, sources say the VP’s reticence about a conflict with Iran was seen by the president as a sign of disloyalty.
So what we have is infighting in an administration that’s started a war that could easily turn into a major regional conflict that has two key members duking it out. Let’s face it – both have their eye on 2028 regardless of any Trump talk about staying in power. (Hell, given his clearly declining health Trump might not be alive by 2028) This could be a pivotal moment for both of them. If we don’t lose too many Americans (earlier today I heard we have three troops dead) and this only lasts a week or so AND Trump takes the pretty good deal that was already on the table and declares victory Rubio will be sitting pretty. And Vance will get if not Jeff Sessions treatment from Trump then at least become an object of scorn. I doubt Trump would ding Vance too badly at any given time but small digs will add up.
Or, maybe Trump could just settle it once and for all come July 4. Part of him would love the spectacle of having Vance and Rubio take part in the ghastly ‘gladiator games’ scheduled to be held on the south lawn of the WH. Belittle the both of them to engage in one of those ‘steel cage’ matches, duking it out until only one is left able to stand. We’ll see. For sure however it’s clear not everyone on Team Trump is on board with this war. Even the Joint Chiefs expressed reservations but rather than do the honorable thing and resign they went along. Shame on them but that’s another issue for another time.
For now, Little Marco isn’t seen as “Little” to Trump and Vance is on the sh*tlist. Keep an eye on this folks.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
Dare I call out Dennis? “he might grudgingly pick someone he thinks will best carry on his work when he’s gone.” As I understand it, there is no pick. The President and Vice-President are elected and, thereafter, the Vice-President cannot be sacked. Until more modern times, the VP had no formal role other than the casting vote in the Senate and waiting around should the Grim Reaper visit the President.
That said, I’m torn between Trump finishing his term and President Vance. T would continue to spiral downwards with more of the same, including steamrolling the GOP; Vance could be more focused on further Project 26 delivery, but would lack authority. However, their operating environment should/must be different AND the operating environment should/must be stifling to them with both Houses in safe hands.
No worries. If I get something wrong I’m happy to fix it. As for a differing opinion that’s okay too. It’s healthy for us to be challenged and have to think about our position on something.
As for this, I did write this and in context it “gone” was about once he leaves office. IF he lives long enough to finish his term. For all his bluster he’s not going to be a candidate in 2028. The talk is just pumping up fundraising. More grift.
For Trump MAGA is his baby and he wants to take it to the grave with him. There are few things that can concentrate his mind but his legacy and MAGA protecting it (including electing MAGA Congress Critters) matters more than most things to him. Finding someone who will be able to keep MAGA being a force AND make it still about him/Trump is something I truly believe he cares about and actually devotes a lot of time to mulling over.
A MAGA civil war about ‘the next Trump’ won’t go well for anyone, and damage Trump’s legacy and he knows it. So, whether he wants to or not he’s going to have to designate the heir to the king-dumb to prevent MAGA from tearing itself apart in an epic shit show.
Make sense now? Oh, a VP can be sacked either via impeachment or being forced to resign as happened with Agnew. However, if Mother Nature finally does her job and Trump finally makes that trip to hell before his term is up then yes, there is a line of succession designated by the Constitution: VP, Speaker of the House, then SecState and on down through the Cabinet. I shudder to think of something happening to Vance and before another VP could be sworn in Trump turning up his own toes. President Mose Mikey Johnson? Ugh!
Thanks, Dennis for a calm explication that develops the original even further.
if mtg develops some kind of organization to take over maga then she will get it. she’s keeps talking about it in the purer sense of what she and other die hards thought it was supposed to be. i think they see jd ad a wet rag and never really liked him. rubio is an even wetter rag and has a major issue (he’s one of them spanish folks, you know, not a real murican). there are certain personality traits that are requirements to win the prsidency and neither vance nor rubii posess them.
Here’s a novel idea: how about a Democrat being prexy? Say, Repubs lose the House, Jeffries becomes speaker, Trump is out somehow, VP Vance adVances to the top, Vance is drummed out somehow, Jeffries becomes the President. This is the scenario that’s been mentioned for felonious, sexist pig, incompetent buffoon Trump, 79!, to become president by hook or crook.