Vice President JD Vance and his team are holding out hope for one thing — that President Donald Trump can stay alive long enough for Vance to have a chance at a two-term presidency, according to an analyst.
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As midterms draw closer and MAGA starts to picture the future, Vance and Republicans have serious concerns over Trump’s declining health, Mike Rothschild, journalist and conspiracy theory expert, told Raw Story in an exclusive interview.
The White House has attempted to quell rumors that the president’s mental acuity and physical well-being have shifted, but behind-the-scenes and among MAGA circles, the conversations are different.
“I think it’s a movement that’s quickly realizing it’s going to be leaderless,” Rothschild told Raw Story. “Whether that’s going to be tomorrow or January 2029. We’re going to be facing a post-Trump future.”
That reality has left MAGA with anxiety, Rothschild pointed out.
“This whole coalition was all held together by Trump because nobody could do what Trump did — that combination of charisma and the shamelessness to lie and say anything and contradict yourself constantly and to risk being humiliated and to know that his humiliation is what actually makes his supporters love him more,” Rothschild explained.
“You have to be Trump to be Trump. No one else can do it,” he added.
For presidential hopefuls in the GOP, that could be problematic. But it’s not the only hurdle.
“Vance can’t do it. Marco Rubio can’t do it,” Rothschild said. “None of these guys have that movie star thing that Trump has — or used to have. I think very quickly we’re seeing what a leaderless MAGA looks like. And I think that’s why you see so many influencers rush to be like him.”
Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones and Nick Fuentes — all former Trump allies — have used Trump to boost their careers but have since turned on him in a move to try and gain more followers and influence in MAGA world.
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“They’re throwing Trump off the side of the ship because they don’t need him anymore,” Rothschild said.
Depending on how voters decide in November, it could also reflect how MAGA followers and Republican presidential candidates treat Trump.
“If the midterms are really a shellacking, Trump isn’t going to have any use for them anymore,” Rothschild said.
But for one potential candidate — Vance — the timing couldn’t be more important. The vice president hasn’t committed to a campaign for 2028, but has launched a media tour promoting his new book,“Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.”
“They really need Trump to hang on to January 2027,” Rothschild said.
Under the 22nd Amendment, no person can be elected as president more than twice. A vice president who has served more than two years of another president’s term can only be elected president once more.
“If Vance became president tomorrow, he couldn’t run for two more full terms,” he explained.
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