Trump Isn't Hiding His Lukewarm Feelings About JD Vance & We're Not The Least Bit Surprised

While Donald Trump may have technically chosen JD Vance to be his righthand man for his second term in the White House, it often seems like he doesn't quite treat him like it. There has long been speculation that Trump doesn't care about Vance — especially after seeing how he treats Elon Musk in comparison. And, in a cringey new interview, what the president said — or rather, what he refused to say — about the former Ohio senator read like further proof that he's definitely not a fan.

On May 4, 2025, Trump sat down with journalist Kristen Welker for NBC News' "Meet the Press." As always, the divisive politician made several perplexing statements that have been getting plenty of attention online. And yet, in one subtler moment, what he didn't say told a story that doesn't look particularly good for Vance. When Welker asked Trump, "Who do you see as your successor, Mr. President?" many people might have assumed that he would suggest his second in command (via X, formerly known as Twitter). After all, as VP, part of Vance's job is being ready to step up if someone needs to take over Trump's role.

WELKER: Who do you see as your successor?

TRUMP: It's far too early to say that, but I do have a vice president and typically it would be pic.twitter.com/OG0llt4rnO

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 4, 2025

"It's far too early to say that, but — you know — I do have a vice president. And, typically it would be. And, JD's doing a fantastic job. But —" At this point, Welker chimed in, asking, "He would be at the top of the list?" Even so, Trump still wouldn't take the opportunity to just offer a simple "yes" in response. As one user hilariously wondered, "Can you remember his name?" while another wrote, "He hates Vance," and a third quipped "Yikes." 

When it comes to who should be president after him, Donald Trump somewhat bizarrely reasoned, "I don't want to get involved in that," (via X). Although the former "Apprentice" host didn't flat out snub JD Vance, he was also suspiciously quick to move on to another suggestion after briefly praising his VP, enthusing, "I think he's a fantastic, brilliant guy. [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio] is great. There's a lot of them that are great." So, while he was willing to call Vance "fantastic" and "brilliant," Trump was careful not to suggest that he was a superior option to others in his cabinet. Interestingly, the president seemed hesitant to even acknowledge that it would be typical for him to suggest Vance as his successor. 

As he argued, "Somebody's VP, if that person is outstanding, I guess that person would have an advantage." Ultimately, though, "It could be that he'd be challenged by somebody. We have a lot of good people in this party." This answer seemed aimed at not committing to Vance. And, while it's true that the divisive politician is only 100 days into having Vance as his vice president, it's surprising that he didn't display more confidence in him. Still, Trump has flubbed Vance's name several times, and the president has also shown signs that he is still bitter about Vance's anti-MAGA past, so we can't say we're that surprised.

Likewise, while appearing on Fox News' "Special Report" back in February, Trump was asked outright if he envisioned Vance taking the reins at some point and, unequivocally, said "No" before again rattling off a list of compliments and then proclaiming, "It's too early." Evidently, in the time since, he hasn't made up his mind (or it hasn't changed?).