When JD Vance took the podium in the White House briefing room on Tuesday, he wasn’t just standing in for press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is on maternity leave.He was the second of two presidential hopefuls to audition in front of the assembled White House press corps.The vice president was ready with his denial when a reporter hinted at the shadow campaign underway.
“I’m not a potential future candidate, I’m a vice president, and I really like my job, and I’m going to try to do as good of a job as I can,” Vance said.
No one believed him, which is as close as you can get to a formal qualification for standing at the lectern in the briefing room.
Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak to reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Vance ran through his wide-ranging brief for 50 minutes. He updated reporters on his work chasing fraud, the new fund to compensate victims of a weaponized Justice Department, his thoughts on AI and its regulations, the latest in the Iran talks (such as they are), the United Kingdom’s politics, Kurdistan, electric cars from China and, this being a figure known for a pugilistic approach to the media, a seminar on how reporters should be asking their questions.
