Visibility has often been a problem for vice presidents with dreams of one day sitting in the Oval Office.
Not so for JD Vance.
He lectured Europe, berated Ukraine’s president, pressured Greenland, came out swinging on behalf of President Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees and found himself tangled up in a controversial Signal group chat that led to the ouster of a top national security official.
Allies, strategists and even some Democrats say Vance’s assertive approach could pay off if he runs for president in 2028.
“He is as directly engaged and active as any vice president that I can remember,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, told USA TODAY.
In an administration currently running the lowest early-months public opinion rating in modern history, however, Vance’s forcefulness carries long-term risk.
Vance is cultivating the Republican base, which he’ll need to win primaries and raise money in 2028. But he’s also tying himself to policies that could be considered “missteps” or “botches,” says Joel Goldstein, a professor emeritus at Saint Louis University and one of the foremost historians of the vice presidency.
“He recently dropped the Ohio State trophy, and you know, the question is whether that will be a metaphor for his vice presidency,” Goldstein said of the awkward April incident in which Vance fumbled his alma mater’s championship hardware.