President Donald Trump has been widely described by historians and political analysts as America's biggest threat, but there may be an even larger one lurking in the shadows of the White House.
Trump's second administration has been marked by a rapid about-face from democratic norms and practices. His administration has openly flouted myriad court orders, attacked the integrity of the nation's election infrastructure, and Trump himself has called on his party to "nationalize" part of the election system to eradicate the election "fraud" that Trump has complained about since he lost the general election of 2020.
Josh G., co-host of the "Ring of Fire" podcast, said on Thursday that there is an even bigger threat to America's democracy than Trump — Vice President JD Vance.
He pointed to Vance's recent Wednesday interview with right-wing pundit Megyn Kelly on her self-titled show as evidence of just how dangerous he is. During the interview, Vance showed he can sell Trump's most odious positions as reasonable policy, he said, and at times appears to be "the adult in the room."
"I understand why it sells. I do. I understand why JD Vance is getting paraded out there," he said. "Trump's poll numbers are sliding. Every press conference is absolute chaos. JD Vance makes that chaos feel more manageable. It's a lot less Truth Social rants from 3 a.m. and a lot more press releases, a lot more presidential."
Questions have swirled about who will take over Trump's MAGA movement once the president leaves politics. Speculation is growing that Republicans will coalesce around Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in 2028, although other MAGA heavyweights like Trump whisperer Steve Bannon could make a play for the crown.