Vice President Vance’s clout is on the rise, taking on the role of pot stirrer at the White House and on the world stage.
His attack dog role was on full display during an Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when Vance confronted the foreign leader, calling him disrespectful and demanding appreciation for the billions in aid the U.S. has provided the country during its war with Russia.
Vance’s more aggressive stance – including his ruffling of feathers in Europe and a visit to the southern border – follows weeks of tech billionaire Elon Musk in the spotlight, who at times has even surpassed President Trump for attention.
“Vance had his best week since being nominated,” a source familiar with the thinking of the White House said. “Solidified himself as a go-to player with Trump and MAGA world.”
As vice president, Vance took a seat behind Trump in the House chamber during the joint address to Congress, joining in with GOP lawmakers to jeer Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) and advocate for Green’s removal from the chamber for interrupting Trump’s speech in protest.
He then traveled to the U.S.-southern border with Cabinet officials to highlight immigration, visit with patrol agents and held a press conference to talk tariffs and the border wall alongside Gov. Greg Abbott.
But Vance really stole the spotlight last Friday, when a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went off the rails as Vance answered a question by a reporter in which he suggested Zelensky engage in diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
That prompted Zelensky to read off a list of aggressions taken by Putin against his country over the last decade after he asked Vance: “what kind of diplomacy, JD, are you speaking about?”
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance said as Zelensky attempted to interrupt. “Mr. President, Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
Some Republicans who spoke to The Hill about that meeting said Vance unnecessarily enflamed the talks. But MAGA world, who has increasingly been skeptical of funding for Ukraine and align with Trump’s “America first” agenda also found Vance’s behavior refreshing.
“By going all in on defending Trump’s agenda and taking the fight directly to opponents, he’s solidifying his role as the administration’s top enforcer. This isn’t just about loyalty—it’s about power. Every punch he throws for Trump boosts his own standing with the base, reinforcing his credentials as a true MAGA warrior,” said Dan Eberhart, a GOP donor.
He added, “let’s be clear: this isn’t just about today. Vance is staking his claim to the movement’s future, positioning himself as the heir apparent for when Trump steps off the stage.”
That Oval Office spat catapulted Vance into the spotlight in ways he had not been since Trump took office in January. It has instead been Musk who has taken over the limelight of the administration, in often controversial ways over how his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has partaken in radical reforms of the federal government, including dismantling entire agencies on a whim.
“There’s this sense that you got folks, Vance and Musk are examples of this, who have free license to step into the breach right, which you don’t ever see,” a source close to Trump world said. “Trump has a certain amount of tolerance for freelancing…I think Trump likes people who perform.”
But Trump’s tone has seen a slight shift this week, at least when it comes to Musk. During his second Cabinet meeting, Trump insisted that his Cabinet secretaries, not Musk, take the lead in finding cuts to their respective agencies, but added the caveat that if they didn’t do what was necessary, Musk would.
Tensions are also reportedly flaring between Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has reportedly been furious with Musk for weeks since his team closed down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), according to reporting by The New York Times.
Meanwhile, Trump has left Vance in a tough spot when it comes to his political future. The president wouldn’t fully back Vance to be the next leader of the Republican Party during a Fox News interview leaving many to wonder just what Trump’s strategy was there. Some observers say that’s also led Vance to increase his posture.
“He’s got a pretty long leash in a different way than Musk to be the interpreter of the MAGA doctrine,” the source close to Trump world said. “I think Vance certainly will be more aggressive in his posture because of that. Because he does want to be the heir apparent.”
Vance caught the attention of GOP senators and the White House when he successfully lobbied for Trump’s more controversial Cabinet nominees – albeit behind closed doors. Vance was credited with talking them into reaching a point where they could vote yes on now-confirmed director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Vance was also tapped by Trump to oversee a potential sale of the popular app TikTok ahead of the upcoming April 5 deadline.
“Vice President Vance has taken on projects, like TikTok and helping with Senate nominations, at the explicit direction of President Trump,” a source familiar with his work told The Hill. “President Trump clearly trusts the Vice President to take on challenging tasks.”
Some senators, meanwhile, are skeptical of Vance being Trump’s heir apparent and presidential hopefuls in the upper chamber will at some point start to create their own positioning for the future, the source close to Trump World described.
“I don’t think it was lost on people that when Trump was asked if Vance was his successor, he didn’t immediately embrace them,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Vance is cementing his role from multiple angles to show he can be the future of the party in 2028. He even defended Trump for declining to endorse him, arguing that its too early.
“Vance isn’t there to soften Trump, he’s there to drive the entire movement forward. To Trump, Vance is the product of what he started—young, aggressive, and fully committed to its future,” said Jordan Wood, a former Trump administration communications aide.
Julia Manchester contributed to this report.
