NYT: Donald Trump Questions JD Vance's Suitability as His Successor

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump doubts the suitability of Vice President JD Vance as his successor, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Saturday (30/5), citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report, Trump routinely asked for opinions on both Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

In early May, Trump even asked a number of guests at an event about who was more worthy of being a presidential candidate.

However, the newspaper said Trump had indicated he did not support either.

The NYT reported that when conducting a private poll on Vance and Rubio, Trump often compared Vance's performance to his own achievements.

Trump also repeatedly told his supporters that Vance never won a competitive election without his help.

He also alluded to the number of days off Vance took while serving as vice president.

Meanwhile, Trump himself is said to rarely take a vacation.

According to the NYT report, Trump also highlighted a number of moments when Vance was judged to have acted less than appropriate for his position.

The US President is said to have recalled the incident last spring when Vance dropped the Ohio state football championship trophy in the south lawn of the White House.

In various meetings, Vance was also said to have frequently shifted the screen of his mobile phone and used social media to argue with his critics.

The report said Trump was active on Truth Social, but did not spend time responding to other users on social media.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles recently even suggested Vance take a break from social media because she judged such debates inappropriate for his position, according to sources quoted by the NYT.

However, people close to Trump and Vance still believe that the vice president is the most appropriate figure to be Trump's successor, the newspaper wrote.

The Republican Party must determine a new presidential candidate before the November 2028 presidential election because Trump cannot run for a third term under the US Constitution.

Trump previously said the Republican Party had a number of potential candidates to replace him, including JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.