Donald Trump mocked ‘little boy’ JD Vance last night as he recalled Secret Service agents yanking the Vice President out of his chair and hoisting him to safety during the assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Speaking from the White House Rose Garden on Monday, the President praised his personal security for swiftly rushing him offstage at the Correspondents’ Dinner after a gunman stormed the Washington hotel with a shotgun.
‘I thought you did a great job two weeks ago. You know why? Because I’m here,’ Trump told Secret Service. ‘We consider being here a success. No matter how well you do, they’re going to find fault.’
‘But I will be the one to find fault if I think there was fault …They had great professional people, and they came out, and within seconds, I saw them take JD by the shoulders and lift him up like he was a little boy,’ Trump said with a smirk.
Footage of the 41-year-old Vance being hoisted from his seat by the shoulders by a Secret Service agent, while Trump remained seated, went viral online shortly after the assassination attempt.
Trump continued, ‘I said, “How come they didn’t lift me up so fast?” JD got ripped out of the chair, that was the view of the week.’
Later in his evening address at the White House, Trump polled the audience on his 2028 successor, casting doubt on Vance’s premature candidacy: ‘Is it gonna be JD? Is it gonna be someone else? I don’t know.’
The President then pressed the crowd with questions including, ‘Who likes JD Vance?’ and ‘Who likes Marco Rubio?’
Footage of the 41-year-old Vance being hoisted from his seat by the shoulders by a Secret Service agent, while Trump remained seated, went viral online shortly after the assassination attempt
Donald Trump branded JD Vance a ‘little boy’ as he recalled being shielded by Secret Service during his latest assassination attempt, while openly floating Marco Rubio as his successor in 2028
The President then pressed the crowd with questions including, ‘Who likes JD Vance?’ and ‘Who likes Marco Rubio?’
After both officials received applause from the crowd, Trump replied, ‘Sounds like a good ticket.’
Trump has long floated both Vance and Rubio as his preferred successors when he departs the White House in 2028, though he has yet to say which he would want at the top of the ticket and which as the running mate.
‘By the way, I do believe that’s a dream team, but these are minor details,’ Trump added during his speech.
‘That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstance. But you know… I think it sounds like presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate.’
Trump is also known to sporadically poll guests and allies on who they want to succeed him in 2028, using the responses to gauge where the GOP’s loyalties lie.
Vance and Rubio previously served together in the U.S. Senate, and both opposed Trump’s early bid for the presidency in 2016.
Now, the pair are seen as among the most effective members of Trump’s administration entrusted with his most sensitive assignments, including leading diplomatic talks to end the war with Iran.
Despite speculation over their presidential ambitions, Vance and Rubio have publicly downplayed any interest in running the Oval Office.
Rubio did tell reporters last year that he would back Vance if he ran, stating, ‘If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him.’
Prediction markets have Vance and Rubio running nearly neck-and-neck for the next GOP nomination, with Kalshi giving the Vice President a 35% chance and the Secretary of State 31%.
