Vice President J.D. Vance probably dreams about new drapes (and an extra special couch) in the Oval Office once he becomes President. He wants to succeed Trump so bad he can taste it, and he’s been hard at work setting himself up to be the GOP’s nominee. Vance wants, needs Trump to clear the field of GOP challengers so he needs Trump’s endorsement. The sooner the better. Earlier this week in the Oval Office, as Vance stood there a few feet away Trump refused to give him the coveted (Fake) Golden Ticket. Ouch!
Given Trump’s obviously mental and more importantly physical decline he might not get the chance to endorse Vance or anyone else. Mother Nature might decide it’s time to do this country and the free world a favor – before Trump a) reluctantly decides he can’t run again, and b) names who he wants to succeed him. In that case Vance would already be President when the 2028 primaries start and in pretty good position to avoid the circus that would ensues when the incumbent can’t run. However if Trump is still on this side of the Gates of Hell no sane Republican will want his endorsement a year from now. Getting it would cause them to endure the dreaded ETTD Syndrome.
Right now however we’re talking about VP Vance and his predicting getting Trump’s endorsement. I don’t know about you but to me this is political entertainment and with some humor, with the details provided in this article from Daegens.com US. Let’s treat it like a comedian would starting with the setup beginning with the fact Vance has spent the summer doing more than campaigning for GOPers in the midterms. Anyone who follows politics could see Vance was positioning himself for 2028. A sitting VP looking to move up is always in an awkward spot – you have to stick by the President yet create some distance on some issues and Vance did so by not (like his boss) endorsing Netanyahu who’s got his own electoral problems. Amidst all those town halls and interviews Vance said if he ran for President Trump would endorse him. Which didn’t happen. Oops.
Now for the fun part – that set up and (crotch) punch line. Earlier this week, on Monday (the 19th) Vance sat down for an on-camera interview:
During an interview with the digital media platform 2WAY, Vance expressed certainty that his boss would endorse him for president if he decided to run in 2028.
“If I run, I think the president would endorse me. But I also haven’t talked to him about it yet.”
While Vance kept hedging that Trump might let the Republican primary election run its course, he kept reiterating that Trump “would endorse” him.
“I think I would get his endorsement, but I also think there’s something to be said for people actually running their own race,” Vance said.
See for yourself:
“I think if I run, the president will endorse me,” @JDVance told @MarkHalperin when asked today about 2028. pic.twitter.com/2djXrd6LVY
— 2WAY (@2waytvapp) October 19, 2026
You should watch the clip because because Vance (like so many before him) tries to play the ‘I haven’t decided to run’ game. But at around a minute comes the good part as the laughing and joke stops and Vance emphatically says if he runs then Trump will endorse him. (Monday turned out to be quite the day because there wasn’t just this, that evening the infamous, vile Ramaswamy ad ran for the first time. More on that later) Clearly Vance was thinking on Monday his time had come.
Well, as just like in boxing in the rough and tumble world of politics leading with your chin often leads to getting knocked on your butt. Which is exactly what happened to Vance. The very next day (Tuesday, Oct. 20) Trump delivered the proverbial punch line in the form of rhetorical slap to Vance’s face:
Just a day later, Vance’s prediction and hope were dismissed by Trump. To make the situation even worse and more humiliating for the vice president, it was done while Vance was standing right behind him.
A reporter brought up the 2WAY interview with Vance to Trump and asked him to comment on it. Trump started to shake his head in disgust and gave this candid answer:
OUCH — Trump refuses to endorse JD Vance for 2028 and says "we've never talked about it" pic.twitter.com/Vi4VleQKae
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 20, 2026
Vance set himself up for a political comedic pratfall that would make any humorist proud. I say that because Vance covets being the one sitting in that chair at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office more than anything he’s coveted in his life. However I’m betting that at that moment he wanted to be anywhere else! Perhaps that’s why as the Ramaswamy ad began widely airing on Tuesday the 20th Vance made yet another stupid choice and statement.
After that humiliation by Trump (again, not the first time Trump has refused to anoint Vance as his successor) Vance decided to, on Wed. the 21st go on camera and try to play the ‘Trumpier than Trump card.” He vigorously defended Ramaswamy, attacked child-rape victim Amy Acton and chastised fellow Republicans for being critical of “poor, defenseless Vivek.” It remains to be seen how much (if any) it will sway Trump. Initially Trump did his ‘I haven’t heard about that’ schtick but he’s since made it clear he backs Ramaswamy (who allocated another $4 million to keep running the ad) so who knows?
Well, if you check out the linked article you can learn more (with video) about how this isn’t the first time Trump had a softball served that would allow him to endorse Vance. Then and this week, Trump let it go right by without swinging for a called strike. Trump if you didn’t know has a long, long history going back to his days working for daddy at the Trump Org. of pitting others against each other. The rational of course is that if they were busy fighting amongst themselves they wouldn’t become a threat to him. The thing is, by all accounts this wasn’t just a protection strategy for Trump, he enjoyed watching the spectacle (the bloodier the better) he created. We’ve seen the same ingrained behavior from him as President. In other words Vance can suck up all he wants but if he thinks Trump is going to endorse him he’s as crazy as Trump!
Conventional wisdom has been either Vance or Rubio will emerge from the carnage. That can to a large degree be avoided IF Trump were to endorse someone. But he won’t, at least not yet. Vance is trying his little heart out (a heart smaller than Trump’s hands) and no doubt thought this week the time had come. In his Monday interview he set himself up for a bigly fall on his face. Call me mean for talking about Vance’s humiliation being funny. I don’t care. Trump only picked Vance because he was a lightweight. Rubio? It was Trump who hung the moniker Little Marco on him and that’s how Trump viewed him both then and now. If I had to bet, neither will get Trump’s endorsement.
Deep down, Rubio knows that if he’s going to get the nomination he’s going to have to do it without Trump, or at least as the primaries unfold become the clear leader in delegates. That’s not going to happen. However Rubio so far has known better than to set himself up for a dose of Trumpian ritual humiliation like Vance keeps doing. Once again I’ll say I take my entertainment where I can find it. So thanks J.D. for voicing your delusions of grandeur and being Justa Dumbass Vance.
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
Had to laugh when I saw the pic and then your title..