J.D. Vance’s Private War

JD Vance
Vance has been characteristically vocal about his isolationist stance, and his now-infamous 2023 Wall Street Journal op-ed praising Trump for “not starting any wars” was ricocheting around social media as soon as American bombs started falling on Tehran. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
March 4, 2026

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J.D. Vance has a Kamala Harris problem. Like his predecessor, the current veep is positioning himself as the heir apparent to an aging president. And while the office he now occupies gives him a clear edge in a hypothetical 2028 Republican primary, it can also enormously complicate his ambitions: Also like his predecessor, his career is tied to an unpopular president to whom he owes unwavering public support.