Many political insiders believe that Vice President JD Vance will run for president in 2028 as the heir apparent to President Donald Trump.
But Vance shocked fellow Republicans this week indicating that he already has a plan in place to become the next president well before the next election.
In an exclusive interview with USA Today, Vance said he’s prepared to run the country if “God forbid” something “terrible” were to happen to President Trump.
“Yes, things can always happen,” Vance said when asked if he was prepared to step up if something happened to President Trump, who has survived two assassination attempts..
“Yes, terrible tragedies happen,” he said.
“And if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days.”
However, despite the doomsday scenario, Vance stressed that his boss is in great shape to continue to be president, saying: “I feel very confident the president of the United States is in good shape, is gonna serve out the remainder of his term, and do great things for the American people.”
Vance, who is the third youngest vice president in US history, insisted that Trump is more than capable of doing the job.
“He’s got incredible energy, and while most of the people that work around the president of the United States are younger than he is, I think that we find that he actually is the last person who goes to sleep, he’s the last person making phone calls at night, and he’s the first person who wakes up and the first person making phone calls in the morning,” he continued.
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Vance’s admission comes as news of Trump’s overall health continues to emerge.
Trump, who is 79 and is the oldest person to be sworn in as president, was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency last month, a blood circulation issue, after noticing mild swelling in his lower legs.
At the time, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made the surprise disclosure while addressing photos about recent bruising seen on Trump’s hands — which the presidential physician attributed “minor soft tissue irritation” from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.
The presidential physician wrote in a memo that the president was subjected to various tests that ruled out blood clot and heart issues.
“Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease,” Leavitt told reporters.
“No signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified.”