Reports suggest Trump may be second-guessing JD Vance as VP pick, Internet says it's all for 'attention'

WASHINGTON, DC: Reports have surfaced that former President Donald Trump may be reconsidering his choice of Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate, according to Newsweek.

Despite these rumors, the GOP presidential nominee's communications director, Steven Cheung, vehemently denied any such second-guessing.

Cheung told Newsweek, "President Trump is thrilled with the choice he made with Senator Vance, and they are the perfect team to take back the White House."

Speculation swirls about Donald Trump second-guessing JD Vance as his running mate

"And any reporting to the contrary is nothing but ridiculous fake news from either non-existent sources or individuals who have no idea what's going on. Meanwhile, Democrats are in complete disarray after their coup that forcibly removed Biden from the campaign, proving they are the real threats to democracy," told Steven Cheung to Newsweek. 

During a phone interview on 'Fox & Friends' on Thursday, July 25, Trump himself stood by Vance, calling him "fantastic" and dismissing any notion that Kamala Harris’ selection as Joe Biden’s replacement would have influenced his choice.

Vance’s press office referred Newsweek to this interview when asked for a comment. Political experts, however, believe that Trump still has the option to replace Vance if he so desires. 

Mitchell Brown, a political science professor at Auburn University, explained to Newsweek, "There’s a clear deadline for filing to be on a ballot in each of the states. As long as a new vice presidential candidate is picked before that deadline, they can replace Vance." 

However, switching running mates for Trump might not be as simple as it appears. 

According to the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) rules adopted in 2020, a vacancy of the Republican presidential nominee or their running mate may be filled by the RNC, or the RNC could reconvene its national convention to vote for a replacement.

Brown outlined several concerns regarding Trump potentially switching vice presidential candidates: "Stability, the time it takes to gear up a campaign once you have your nominees and run a good campaign."

Despite these hurdles, she noted, "Trump has proven himself over and over again to be somebody who benefits when he's got a lot of media and public attention."

The professor added that the rumors about replacing Vance might be a strategy to shift media focus back to Trump, particularly if Harris was garnering more attention.

Having said that, Vance’s selection has not been universally praised. According to CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten, the Ohio senator is the first non-incumbent vice presidential nominee to have a net-negative favorable rating after a convention since 1980.

Enten reported on CNN’s 'OutFront,' "I have gone all the way back since 1980. He is the first guy, immediately following a convention—a VP pick—who actually had a net-negative favorable rating. The average since 2000 is +19 points. JD Vance [is] making history in the completely wrong way."

Donald Trump sparks trolling online in wake of rumors about replacing JD Vance 

Following the rumors of Donald Trump potentially reconsidering his choice of Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate, netizens were quick to mock the former president.

One Facebook user quipped, "Trump NEVER knew how to hire only how to fire; a la 17 Cabinet members in his last administration got axed," and another remarked, "He’s probably forgotten who he picked by now."

"But he only hires the best people!" joked a person, while someone else said, "Anything to get attention. That's why he's always changing his little mind."

One more wrote, "Cue the clown music," while another person chimed in, "There he goes again... the convicted criminal clown Trump with a screwy brain...always making the wrong decision because of his IGNORANCE."

"Only a loser picks a loser," declared an individual, and a netizen remarked, "What a bad look! imagine dumping the VP pick. senile old man!!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.