STEPHEN MILLER: What If JD Vance Doesn’t Run?

What if JD Vance sees another coming wave, and decides he’s up against destiny and reality, and decides to simply sit out 2028, and come back rejuvenated in 2032? That decision then opens a field for candidates such as Marco Rubio, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, or Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, or even a Mike Pence and Chris Christie, as well as a challenge from the right in Marjorie Taylor Greene or Thomas Massie running on an “America First” MAGA betrayal campaign that could make some noise, backed by powerful media allies like Tucker Carlson or Megyn Kelly.

But it also raises greater questions about who fills the Trump endorsement lane. The question isn’t so much about who would run absent a Vance campaign, but rather who would fill the Vance-lane and void. Does Donald Trump Jr., a friend and confidant of Vance and the son of the president, entertain a campaign? Does Pete Hegseth enter the fray? A Vance exit likely creates a MAGA vacuum, as everyone jockeys for a post-Trump electorate, and what that looks like right now is anyone’s guess and likely signals a white flag coming from the Trump White House for a party where heir apparents are somewhat successful. The blame game engulfing the political Right and how Vance navigates the rubble of the midterms will answer several questions over the coming months, but as of now, there are no easy answers, and there is no easy path for him.

Will Iran be sorted out by 2028? What will the economy be like? How much Dem infighting will we see in the next two years? How many impeachment hearings will there be? Will there be a black swan event on the scale of 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, or Covid? It seems far too premature to wargame 2028, though as Miller writes, as of right now, “The Democrats have the wind at their backs, and they know that whoever comes out of a vicious, brutal primary will have a decent chance at the White House.”