Loading …It is a familiar ritual in Washington D.C. A sitting Vice President, just seven months into a new term, is asked about his future ambitions. He gives the expected, coy answer, insisting he is focused only on “the current job.” But beneath this familiar political dance, a profound constitutional drama is unfolding.
Beneath the surface of a routine political interview with Vice President JD Vance lies a masterclass in the treacherous art of being second-in-command.
His carefully chosen words were more than just a commentary on the current administration; they were a window into the constitutional evolution of an office that has transformed from a political afterthought into the most powerful apprenticeship in the world.
A Study in Loyalty and Ambition
In an interview with Lara Trump, Vice President Vance performed the classic tightrope walk required of his office. He expressed absolute loyalty to the President while subtly signaling his own readiness to lead. He lamented politicians who are “already running for the next job,” while simultaneously acknowledging a potential 2028 run of his own.
“If I do end up running, it’s not going to be given to me – either on the Republican side or on the national side,” Vance said. “I’m just going to keep on working hard… and I think if I do that, the politics will figure itself out.”
This is the central paradox of the modern Vice Presidency: you must appear to have no ambition, while working tirelessly to prove you are worthy of the highest office.
The Constitutional Evolution of the Office
To understand the modern Vice Presidency, one must understand the 12th Amendment. The framers’ original design, where the runner-up in the presidential election became Vice President, was a constitutional failure.
It created an executive branch with a built-in rival, as seen in the dysfunctional relationship between President John Adams and Vice President Thomas Jefferson.
The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, corrected this by creating the “ticket” system, where the President and Vice President run as a team. This fundamentally transformed the office from a rival into a subordinate partner, paving the way for the powerful, integrated role it holds today.
The “Heir Apparent” in a Lame-Duck Term
The power of the modern Vice President is amplified by another constitutional change: the 22nd Amendment, which limits the President to two terms.
With President Trump now a “lame duck” who cannot run again, the Vice President automatically becomes the center of gravity for the party’s future. Vance’s interview, while couched in humility, is the unofficial starting gun for the 2028 “invisible primary.”
Vance’s description of President Trump’s leadership style is also a constitutionally significant insight into the functioning of the “unitary executive.”
“What’s made this so much fun is the president, all the time, just saying, ‘JD you go and do this,’ or ‘JD you go and talk to these leaders about this particular issue,’” Vance said. “That ability to delegate and trust his people has been really amazing.”
This portrays a President who is not a micromanager, but who governs by empowering his key, trusted lieutenants to carry out his agenda – with the Vice President chief among them.
The office of the Vice President has come a long way from the post John Adams once described as “the most insignificant… that ever the invention of man contrived.”
In the modern era of the 12th and 22nd Amendments, it has become one of the most constitutionally significant positions in our government: a powerful subordinate, a trusted advisor, and, always, the heir apparent waiting in the wings.