If Donald Trump is going down, his vice president may be going down with him, according to members of Trump’s inner circle.
Those close to the president are increasingly concerned that Trump’s sinking favorability—amid his surprise war on Iran and an affordability crisis—could drag down not only his own standing, but also JD Vance’s political future, Zeteo reported Monday.
“Trump is imploding, and he’s probably going to take JD down with him unless there’s a course correction,” a source described as “close to Trump” told the outlet.
It’s been a rough few weeks for Vance, 41. The isolationist vice president has reportedly been at odds with his boss over the bombardment of Iran, which Trump launched in coordination with Israel—without congressional approval—on Feb. 28.
A bombshell New York Times report on Tuesday revealed that Vance was the loudest—and only—voice of opposition within the White House against launching a full-scale attack, calling it “a huge distraction of resources” and “massively expensive.”
Vance was then tasked with publicly defending the Middle East conflict, a time that has coincided with rising casualties abroad and surging gas prices at home.
He also traveled to Pakistan, where efforts to negotiate a peace deal with Iran ultimately fell apart.
“We’re looking forward to the negotiation. I think it’s gonna be positive. We’ll, of course, see,” Vance said ahead of the failed summit.
The president also dispatched Vance to Europe to rally support for Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán last week, whose 16 years in power ended with a landslide defeat to rival Péter Magyar on Sunday.
When the former senator from Ohio assumed the vice presidency last year, he became one of the youngest and least experienced people to hold the office. Now, he is also among the least popular vice presidents at this stage in modern history, according to CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten, who reported Monday that Vance’s favorability has fallen 21 points since January 2025.
“JD Vance is not doing too hot to trot at this point,” Enten said. “Down he goes! JD Vance getting dragged down along with the president of the United States.”
While Vance’s recent struggles appear closely tied to Trump’s declining approval rating, the president himself has also reportedly grown frustrated with his second-in-command. The White House and Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, two sources told Zeteo that Trump made snarky remarks about Vance in conversations with other members of his inner circle, criticizing his lack of enthusiasm for the war.
