Trump Responds "No" to Question About Pence as Vice President Successor... Decision Deferred

Revealed in Fox News Interview
"Very Capable, Fantastic... Still Too Early to Decide"

Former President Donald Trump (left), nominated as the Republican candidate for the U.S. presidential election, and J.D. Vance, U.S. Senator from Ohio and vice-presidential candidate, stand side by side at the Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee on July 15 last year (local time). On the 10th (local time), Trump responded to a Fox News question asking if he considered Vance as his successor by saying, "No," adding that it is still too early to make a decision. / AFP·Yonhap News Photo by AFP

On the 10th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump was asked whether he considers JD Vance as his successor, to which he replied, "No," adding that it is still too early to make a decision.

In a pre-recorded interview last week with Fox News host Brett Baier, President Trump said, "No, but he is very capable."

He continued, "I think there are many capable people," and added, "So far, I think he has done a fantastic job. But it is still too early."

President Trump's remarks came while Vance is attending the Paris Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit held in Europe. The summit is considered one of the White House's top priorities. Additionally, Vance is scheduled to attend the Munich Security Conference (MSC) as the U.S. representative.

Vance, a former senator from Ohio, was selected as the Republican vice-presidential candidate by actively embracing Trump-style economic populism. At the time, Trump, who was considered an "older presidential candidate" along with Joe Biden, has a significant age gap with Vance. Vance is 40 years old, nearly 40 years younger than Trump, who is currently 78. When elected last year, he was noted as a candidate in his 30s.

Bloomberg News explained, "Vance's vice-presidential nomination symbolizes a generational shift within the Republican Party and is interpreted as a strategic choice aimed at appealing to white working-class voters, who were once a core support base of the Democratic Party."

The British daily The Guardian also analyzed the reason former President Trump chose Vance as his vice-presidential candidate for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, reporting that "he may have been chosen because of his youth."