“JD Vance Cannot Lose the MAGA Base, But He Cannot Lose Donald Trump” Either, Says Michael Wolff

As the Jeffrey Epstein scandal continues to cast a long shadow over American politics, one prominent figure’s silence has become increasingly noticeable Vice President JD Vance. And according to biographer Michael Wolff, that silence may be a calculated political strategy.

Speaking on The Daily Beast podcast over the weekend, Wolff, who has chronicled President Donald Trump’s political journey, suggested that Vance’s low profile in the Epstein fallout is no accident. As Trump and his allies scramble to control the narrative surrounding the scandal, Wolff believes Vance is playing the long game to protect his political future.

“Where has JD Vance been in all of this?” asked podcast host Joanna Coles. “Hiding,” Wolff replied with a laugh.
“JD Vance cannot, for his own political future, lose the MAGA base,” he continued. “But for his own political future, he cannot lose Donald Trump. Go figure.”

Vance has long been floated by political commentators as a potential heir to the MAGA movement. However, Trump has remained noncommittal about Vance’s future as a possible successor. Earlier this year, when asked directly whether Vance could take the reins of the movement after him, Trump responded sharply: “We’ll see.”

Observers have also noted that Vance’s role within the administration seems to have diminished in recent months. Once a regular face in the media, Vance has taken a back seat amid the Epstein-related controversies and broader challenges facing the Trump White House.

New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie recently described Vance as “the president’s official fanboy,” citing his ability to echo and amplify Trump’s more extreme rhetoric. Bouie went further, arguing that Vance’s public persona serves a dual function within the administration.

“And in addition to acting as cheer captain for his boss, Vance also works to give the administration a veneer of intellectualism to cover its cruelty, corruption, and incompetence a spokesman for the president’s brand of national populism,” Bouie wrote.

With Vance caught between loyalty to Trump and the need to maintain his own credibility with the MAGA base, his silence on the Epstein scandal could be more telling than any statement.

READ NEXT

• “Ghislaine Maxwell Is a Monster”: Virginia Giuffre’s Family Slams Trump Over Possible Pardon and Demands Justice
• Minnesota Teachers Dead in Suspected Murder-Suicide, Leaving Two Young Children Without a Mother
• North Carolina Man Allegedly Found at Home Surrounded by “Containers” Holding His Wife’s Body Parts
• “They Ain’t Small”: Donald Trump Jr. Turns Viral Chest Meme Into Joke and Possible Denim Deal
• Jessica Biel Reportedly Shifts Focus Away from Timberlake Amid Marital Struggles