When Donald Trump announced JD Vance as his running mate for the 2024 election, it is safe to say, people were surprised. Even though in the days leading up to the announcement, Vance had been nothing but a faithful foot soldier of the MAGA movement, his past claims of Trump being the worst choice for the country were still fresh in people’s minds.
JD Vance was a minor political figure during the 2016 general election when Trump first came onto the political scene as a presidential candidate. However, Vance quickly gained notoriety for statements in which he said he went “back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical [expletive] like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s [a dictator],” in his book, “Hillbilly Elegy”.
In this video montage, JD Vance says:
1. He “never liked” Trump.
2. Trump never “tells the truth”.
3. Trump is a “total fraud”.
4. Trump doesn’t “care about folks” .
5. He “can’t stomach” Trump.
pic.twitter.com/mR7lU4lkCw
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) October 2, 2024
This was not his sole criticism of Trump. He even posted his thoughts about the President in a since-deleted tweet where he said, “Trump makes people I care about afraid. Immigrants, Muslims, etc. Because of this, I find him reprehensible. God wants better of us.”
During those days, JD Vance made no effort to hide his disdain for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. However, over the years, like several of his Senate colleagues, including Lindsey Graham, Vance became a Trump supporter and embraced the MAGA movement.
However, sources have reported that this transition from ‘never-trumper’ to MAGA candidate for the Vice President was not smooth, and Trump definitely didn’t let JD off the hook so easily.
Lindsey Graham on Trump in 2016:
“He’s a kook. I think he’s crazy. I think he’s unfit for office…He’s not a conservative Republican. He’s an opportunist.”pic.twitter.com/jbKvQpH5KC
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) February 24, 2026
According to sources at TIME, during their first meeting, Trump reportedly cornered Vance and confronted him about his remarks. Vance may have found his way out of such a conversation, but Trump has been taking digs at the Vice President JD Vance ever since.
Donald Trump has made his feelings regarding his position as the President of the United States very clear, and he is not very keen on letting go of the power. However, when pressured over who he sees as his successor, Trump didn’t name his vice president, Vance.
In another clear show of his dislike towards his own vice president, Trump showered Elon Musk with far more compliments and credits in a few months, while DOGE was active, making his preference clear. Musk was often seen with President Trump at rallies, meetings and in the Oval Office while Vance was missing from the scene. They were joined at the hip, so much so that the media dubbed Musk as “First Buddy”.
This is hands down my favorite era to be alive: Elon Musk in a DogeFather shirt in the Oval Office, and Trump calling him a friend who did phenomenal work…and without needing to. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/GKRlP1Hhjg
— 𝓣 𝓞 𝓟 𝓓 𝓞 𝓖 𝓔 (@TOPDOGE007) February 27, 2026
Trump was seen gushing over Musk at several instances where he either didn’t mention his vice president or talked about Vance in just one line. It is not only Musk, whom Trump has favored over his Vice President, but also the second lady. On several occasions, Trump has praised Usha Vance and her intelligence.
However, Trump’s biggest takedown for Vance was when he claimed that he does not believe that vice presidential nominees matter at all during elections. It was August 2024, and Trump was on stage for the Chicago National Association of Black Journalists conference, where he essentially called vice presidents non-consequential for elections and then governments.
Donald Trump may have accepted JD Vance as his vice president, but he has made it clear that he doesn’t have to like it. He has insulted and degraded VP Vance on several occasions, and it has not even been two years into his second term.
