After Gavin Newsom publicly taunted Vice President JD Vance for lacking the “cult of personality” needed to carry the MAGA movement forward, President Donald Trump seemingly agreed with the premise before offering a halfhearted defense.
Newsom further reacted to the response, claiming that Trump had just agreed with him. Meanwhile, Vance remains statistically the least popular vice president on record.
Gavin Newsom calls out Donald Trump for his remarks about JD Vance
California Gavin Newsom called out JD Vance by claiming that the “era of Trump ends with Trump.” He claimed that Vance fundamentally lacks the “cult of personality” needed to carry the MAGA movement forward (via OK Magazine).
A reporter later put forth this critique to Donald Trump, who did not seem to wholeheartedly defend his Vice President.
“Well, look, uh, we’ve done a lot, and J.D. is very talented. He’s a smart guy, he’s—he’ll do very well if it’s—if it’s J.D.. We have a lot of very talented people, uh, so I think hopefully we’re going to leave something that’s going to be real easy to run. We’re doing—we’re doing a lot, we’re doing a lot, and J.D.’s a very talented guy,” Trump said.
Newsom pounced on the occasion and further amplified his claim. “WOW. Donald Trump basically just agreed with Governor Newsom: J.D. Vance doesn’t have what it takes to carry MAGA after Trump,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X. “Trump accepted the premise — then awkwardly stumbled through some half-hearted praise for JD,” the post added.
Meanwhile, Vance remains the least popular Vice President by stats in recent times. Data analysis shows that Vance’s popularity has hit historic lows since he took office in 2025. According to national polling, Vance’s net approval rating is -18 points, which is 21 points less than when he began his term at +3.
Although Vance remains the strongest candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has experienced a massive surge in recent months.
