President Donald Trump, aged 79, has been the subject of at least two assassination attempts.
US Vice President J.D. Vance stated his readiness to assume the presidency if a “terrible tragedy” were to befall Donald Trump, referencing the seven months of “on-the-job training” he has accumulated in his current role.
In a Thursday interview with USA Today, Vance was questioned about his capacity to succeed his superior – Trump, who at 79 is among the oldest presidents in the nation’s history – should Trump become unable to lead the administration.
According to Vance, Trump remains dynamic and committed. “He’s the last person who goes to sleep… and the first person… making phone calls in the morning,” the vice president remarked, expressing his conviction that Trump will “serve out the remainder of his term and do great things for the American people.”
Nevertheless, he added, “if, god forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days.”
In July 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally held in Butler, Pennsylvania. Gunfire grazed his upper right ear and injured several individuals around him before the assailant was neutralized by the Secret Service. One member of the crowd and the attacker died.
A second assassination plot occurred on September 15 at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where an armed suspect was apprehended before being able to fire a shot.
In April, Vance hinted at a potential 2028 presidential campaign, but stressed that he would first discuss it with Trump, adding that much could transpire in the coming three years. Trump himself commented this month that Vance is “probably favored” for the 2028 Republican nomination at this juncture. The president has also put forward Secretary of State Marco Rubio as another possible successor.
Before becoming vice president, Vance served as US senator for Ohio from 2023 to 2025, after a career as a venture capitalist and author of the bestselling memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy’. Rubio had previously represented Florida in the US Senate for over a decade and achieved national prominence as a 2016 Republican presidential candidate.