Trump says ‘you’re voting for the president … you’re voting for me’ when asked about vice-presidential pick
Donald Trump has said that vice presidential picks have “virtually no impact” on elections when asked about JD Vance’s fitness for office, in an apparent attempt to downplay his running mate’s role on the Republican ticket.
Trump made the comments during a combative interview at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Chicago. Asked by the Fox News journalist Harris Faulkner whether Vance would be ready to take over “on day one, if he has to be”, Trump avoided answering directly and instead downplayed the significance of the Vance’s role.
Clearly, the VP of an 80-year-old presidential candidate isn’t a position that might come with some authority down the road. The Oval Office couches are perfectly safe.
The VP actually has a great deal of Constitutional power already, as the Constitution declares them to be President of the Senate, with the power to cast a tie-breaking vote. Their ability to be Presiding Officer of the Senate, I would argue makes the VP more powerful than a normal Senator. The fact that modern VPs choose not to use this power, I think demonstrates that the VP actually has a lot more power than people realize.