Political Tribune

Donald Trump, Elon Musk, J.D. Vance, Opinion, Politics

Social Media Questions JD Vance’s Absence, Points Out Major Issue With White House Dynamics

The vice president wasn't present at this week's White House event.

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It’s been said that Elon Musk is a shadow president of the United States. Or perhaps a deputy president. At any rate, he is shaping up as Donald Trump’s most important lieutenant in the early days of his second presidency.

Musk appeared at the White House for a bizarre 30-minute press conference this week. Musk’s four-year-old son, X, interrupted repeatedly, and MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell called it  “the most powerless image of a president of the United States ever created by a camera.”

As pointed out by Irish Star, people on social media noticed something else about the event: The vice president, J.D. Vance, was not there.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) was among those who noticed:

This follows Trump, in his Super Bowl Sunday interview on Fox, answering “no” when asked if he sees Vance as his successor.

On Tuesday, the day of the Trump/Musk White House event, the vice president was in Paris, giving a speech about A.I. regulation, which marked the first foreign speech of his vice presidency.

“At this moment, we face the extraordinary prospect of a new industrial revolution, one on par with the invention of the steam engine,” Vance said in the Paris speech, per the Associated Press. “But it will never come to pass if overregulation deters innovators from taking the risks necessary to advance the ball.”

After that, Vance heads to Germany, for the Munich Security Conference. Per Politico, during his foreign visit, the vice president is dealing with the question of who can speak for Trump.

“The question goes beyond Vance’s personal ambition. Allies and adversaries are watching closely amid a thicket of thorny questions facing the Trump administration,” the report said.

Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library. 


Stephen Silver

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Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy.

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