Allies of JD Vance had a foul-mouthed meltdown at an apparent Republican attempt to torpedo the vice president’s 2028 hopes before his campaign has even officially begun, according to a report.
It has long been assumed that Vance is the MAGA heir apparent and will eventually receive the necessary endorsement from President Donald Trump to launch his own presidential bid.
However, a Vance ally told The Bulwark how annoyed they are that an online “op” appears to be sabotaging the vice president’s chances by repeatedly attacking Vance on a range of issues, such as his initial opposition to the war on Iran and then his failure to negotiate an end to the unpopular conflict.
Another source close to Trumpworld also expressed fears that there is a shadowy plan to “kill” Vance’s White House ambitions before they get off the ground.
“Do you think we’re f---ing stupid?” the Vance ally told The Bulwark. “Obviously it is [an op]. We’re not a bunch of f---ing retards.”
While the apparent “op” exists mainly in fringe corners of social media, the Trump administration and MAGAworld as a whole are known for being very online, meaning such attacks could still have an outsized influence on the race for the 2028 presidential nomination.
The concern from Vance’s team also comes as Trump has not publicly indicated that he even wants the vice president to succeed him in 2028. The president has dropped numerous hints that he is leaning more toward Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the GOP’s next presidential pick.
Vance’s fears may have been calmed after The Washington Post reported earlier this month that Trump has privately been telling GOP donors: “At the end of the day, we need to elect JD.”
Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of influential conservative media site The Federalist, suggested that the “absurd neocon op against Vance” had failed the moment it was reported that Trump actually wants to endorse Vance.
“They knew what was coming and thought they could prevent it by just hysterically shrieking and lying about him on social media,” Davis posted on X.
The Bulwark stresses that there is no evidence to suggest that Rubio—who downplays talks of his own White House bid—is behind any campaign to undermine his potential 2028 GOP rival.
Still, talk of a campaign to topple the frontrunner in the 2028 GOP presidential race foreshadows how bad tensions within MAGAworld could become as Trump nears leaving office for the final time.
The Vance ally mocked what they called a “collection of establishment neocon operatives and media voices” for moving too soon in trying to spark a MAGA civil war.
“Their obvious Never Vance op, which they were hoping to keep clandestine until after the midterms, has already been exposed on social media due to the ham-fisted way they’ve gone about it,” the ally said. “When influencers are all in unison tweeting the same clips about ‘post-liberalism’ from years ago, for example, it’s pretty obvious that it’s not exactly organic.”
The skepticism hasn’t come just online. On Tuesday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz dismissed suggestions that Vance should already be considered the one who will lead the GOP’s 2028 presidential ticket.
“There’s going to be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe,” Cruz told MS NOW’s Way Too Early.
Elsewhere, Trump advisers also told The Bulwark that damning leaks to the press about Vance—including his Secret Service detail venting their frustrations over the vice president’s erratic travel plans—could be part of the plot against Vance.
“None of what they’re doing is a surprise to anyone in Vance’s orbit, as they always assumed the establishment would do everything in their power to stop JD in 2028, just like they did everything in their power to stop him from becoming senator and then vice president,” the Vance ally added.
“These Never Vancers view JD 2028 as their last stand to end the Trump revolution and retake the GOP for the establishment.”
The Daily Beast has contacted Vance’s team for comment.
