Vice President JD Vance has spent the past year trying to position himself as the natural heir to President Donald Trump’s political movement, taking on high-stakes diplomatic assignments that have yielded few wins while publicly defending foreign policy decisions that have at times appeared far removed from his own past views.
He got another reminder of that reality this week when Trump boarded Air Force One for a major state visit to China alongside cabinet officials and big tech executives, leaving Vance publicly explaining why he was not there and fueling fresh questions about his standing inside Trump’s orbit.
The awkward moment underscored broader tensions playing out between Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as both are increasingly viewed as contenders for the future of the Republican Party while Trump refuses to endorse either one as his political successor.
Vance attempted to laugh off his absence from the China trip by joking that he had effectively been left behind as the administration’s designated survivor.
“So as you know, the president just landed in China a few hours ago,” Vance said during remarks from Washington. “I always, you know, you may know that because of Secret Service protocols that I don’t travel outside of the country with the president of the United States. So on days today, I sometimes feel like McCauley Culkin in ‘Home Alone.’ I walk in the White House and it’s very quiet and no one’s there and it takes me a second to realize exactly what’s going on.”
The remarks quickly ricocheted online, where critics seized on the lengthy explanation as a sign of insecurity, arguing that Vance sounded overly eager to reassure people he had not been sidelined.
MS NOW host Jen Psaki mocked Vance during a segment about his comments.
“Feeling a little nervous there about proving your relevance, buddy?” Psaki said. “That was a lot of explaining.”
She added: “Now, of course, all of that verbal tap dancing from Vance comes as Trump is pitting JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio against one another …”
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Online reactions were even harsher, with some social media users framing the incident as evidence that Vance’s standing with Trump may not be as secure as many Republicans assumed after the 2024 election.
“Idiot! Totally left behind meaning its over loser,” one critic wrote.
“Such maturity on trump’s part. Thinking about the apprentice. Although is Vance sulking?” another posted.
A third reaction said: “Such insecurity. Such weakness.”
The episode landed just days after Trump publicly revived speculation about who might carry the Republican banner in 2028. During a White House event Monday, Trump openly mused about the future ticket while carefully avoiding any formal endorsement.
“Who’s it going to be? Is it gonna be JD [Vance]? Is it gonna be somebody else? I don’t know,” Trump stated before turning the moment into a popularity contest.
“Who likes JD Vance?” Trump asked the crowd before later adding, “Who likes Marco Rubio?”
Trump then floated the idea of both men appearing together on a future ticket.
“By the way, I do believe that’s a dream team, but these are minor details,” Trump said. “That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstance.”
The spectacle reflected Trump’s longstanding habit of keeping allies competing for his approval while remaining the dominant force at the center of the Republican Party.
According to Time magazine, Georgetown University professor Hans Noel described the maneuvering as part of the party’s “invisible primary,” where potential future candidates quietly position themselves years before voting begins. Trump, however, has turned that process into public entertainment.
“President Trump has changed things,” Noel told the magazine. “He is very much about showmanship and, by making it into an applause-meter kind of event, Trump wants to not only make this more entertaining, but put himself in the middle of it.”
Both Vance and Rubio have recently been handed high-profile assignments that appear designed to test their political durability and loyalty.
Vance traveled to Hungary in April to support longtime Trump ally Viktor Orbán ahead of a major election, only to see Orbán lose in a landslide to opposition leader Péter Magyar. Vance was later dispatched to Pakistan for peace talks connected to the Iran war but returned without securing a breakthrough agreement.
Rubio, meanwhile, has become increasingly visible within the administration. In addition to serving as secretary of state and national security adviser, he recently filled in for White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a briefing and later released what critics described as a campaign-style video built around one of his answers.
Rubio also traveled to the Vatican to meet Pope Leo amid tensions sparked by Trump’s repeated criticism of the pontiff over the Iran conflict.
Trump has repeatedly floated both men as possible successors while still withholding a clear preference. Last year, when asked whether Vance was the heir to the MAGA movement, Trump said, “Well, I think most likely. In all fairness, he’s the vice president.”
But even then, Trump quickly pivoted back toward Rubio, adding that the Florida Republican was “somebody that maybe would get together with JD, in some form.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s backing, polling inside the GOP has produced mixed signals about the emerging rivalry, according to USA Today.
A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll conducted in late April showed Vance leading Republican preferences for 2028 with 48 percent support compared to Rubio’s 16 percent.
But a more recent AtlasIntel poll placed Rubio ahead of the field with 45.4 percent support among Republican primary voters, while Vance trailed behind him.
