If you are a global leader, the last person you want to meet is JD Vance. The current vice president has had a tumultuous tenure, with various diplomatic slip-ups in his first two years in his post. For example, the last person Pope Francis had to see before he died just so happened to be JD Vance. This unfortunate moment has haunted the vice president for months now. It appears that Vance just cannot keep it together on the global stage, especially when his administration needs him the most.
But first, what does the United States’ vice president actually do? Historically, this has been a ceremonial role, and the only major power they have held is to break vote ties in Congress. This was until Walter Mondale, the vice president under Jimmy Carter in 1977, transformed the office into a close advisor to the president and made an active presence in decision-making and the situation room. However, it seems that Vance has gone a step further, acting as almost a second secretary of state for the Trump administration, meeting with foreign leaders. Now, why is President Donald Trump sending Vance to all of these international meetings instead of experienced diplomats like Marco Rubio or attending them himself? Reports from inside the administration tell us that Trump is increasingly showing signs of major mental and physical decay, so it is very likely that his staffers are using these opportunities to secretly push JD Vance as a known politician. This can be seen in the shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner just late last month, when the Secret Service took Vance off stage before the president, showing he may now be the primary figure.
The first of Vance’s diplomatic blunders came all the way back in February of last year, when he met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, regarding diplomatic resolutions involving the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. During the meeting, Vance famously demanded that Zelenskyy “just say thank you” for US aid, before going on to accuse Zelenskyy of working with and campaigning on behalf of the Democrats. This moment, having been reposted on social media, was not a flattering look for Vance’s seemingly rough, inexperienced, and frankly rude negotiation skills, preferring to throw insults at the Ukrainian president than discuss better terms.
In early April of this year, Vance chose to travel to Hungary to attend a rally in support of the 16-year incumbent conservative prime minister, Viktor Orbán, and his party, Fidesz. Orbán’s government has been historically unpopular, enacting constitutional changes and establishing media regulatory boards, pushing Hungary towards a democratic backslide. Despite attending and speaking at rallies in Budapest, Orbán lost the election to centrist Péter Magyar. Vance’s failure to drum up support shows that he may not be the draw the Republicans hoped he was.
Days later, Vance flew to Islamabad and came back empty-handed in attempts to end the Iran War. He claimed that Iranian officials did not concede their nuclear program, and that was where the disagreements lay. Vance is scheduled to attend more trips in Pakistan; however, those meetings have been reportedly pushed back as Tehran does not want to meet with the current terms Vance is bringing. With the Iran War ranking as one of the most unpopular issues within the Trump administration, Vance’s inability to cool tensions is not conducive to voter satisfaction.
With Trump taking a backseat, many would expect easier diplomatic meetings. However, with his failings on the global stage, the idea of Vance as president is not looking so strong.
