Fact Check: Is JD Vance stepping down as vice president due to Donald Trump and Elon Musk's fallout?
WASHINGTON, DC: A claim has been going around that JD Vance is stepping down as vice president after President Donald Trump's very public fallout with Elon Musk.
The chatter has spread quickly across social media, with many pushing the theory that Vance’s alleged exit is tied to the feud between Trump and Musk.
Vance has always been seen as somewhat of a Silicon Valley guy. Before politics, he was a venture capitalist and tight with billionaire PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. So naturally, when Trump and Musk went at each other, people started whispering about where Vance stands.
Fact Check: There's no proof JD Vance is stepping down as vice president
Many on social media claimed that JD Vance was resigning as VP due to the fallout.
However, the claim is false as there have been no reports of Vance stepping down.
In fact, a quick Google or DuckDuckGo search brings up nothing from credible sources to support the claim.
The Trump-Musk clash exploded all over social media this week. It started when Trump threw his weight behind the GOP’s budget and spending bill, something that Musk did not like. Critics say the bill’s tax cuts and federal budget slash could add more than $2.5 trillion to the national debt. Musk was furious.
He even went so far as to say Trump wouldn’t have won the election without him and called for Trump’s impeachment.
The president fired back by saying he might pull the plug on government contracts and subsidies for Musk’s companies.
Musk eventually deleted some of his posts, including one where he brought up Jeffrey Epstein and suggested replacing Trump with Vance.
JD Vance caught in the middle of Elon Musk and Donald Trump's feud
While Donald Trump and Elon Musk duked it out, JD Vance has been rather quiet.
What we do know is that Vance and Musk go way back. Even before Vance was named Trump’s running mate, they used to talk often. A source told CNN the two “would speak regularly,” and Musk was one of the people who lobbied hard for Trump to pick Vance.
When asked about Musk’s meltdown on comedian Theo Von's podcast, the 40-year-old gave Musk some credit, saying he’s trying to root out “waste, fraud, and abuse” via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But he also hinted that Musk may be letting his emotions get the better of him, CNN reported.
“Elon’s new to politics, right? So, his businesses are being attacked nonstop. They’re literally, like, fire-bombing some of his cars,” Vance said, pointing to the vandalism of Tesla property. “I think part of it is this guy got into politics and has suffered a lot for it,” he added.
On the criticism regarding the "big, beautiful bill," Vance said, “I get the frustration. It’s a good bill. It’s not a perfect bill... if you’re a business leader, you probably get frustrated with that process because it’s more, you know, bureaucratic, it’s more slow-moving.”
“Really, man, I think it’s a huge mistake for him to go after the president like that. I think that if he and the president are in some blood feud. Most importantly, it’s gonna be bad for the country, but … I don’t think it’s gonna be good for Elon either,” the vice president expressed.
JD Vance's advice to Elon Musk over Donald Trump feud
JD Vance didn’t deny that there has been some strain between Donald Trump and Elon Musk for a while. “I don’t want to reveal too many confidences,” he said, “but [Trump] was getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon.”
Still, the vice president claims Trump has been exercising restraint and “doesn’t think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk.” He even offered a bit of advice: “I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine.”
Vance went on to defend Musk’s right to have an opinion, but warned him against turning this into a full-blown war. “Is this war actually in the interest of the country? I don’t think so. So, hopefully, Elon figures it out, comes back into the fold,” he said.
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