By As speculation grows over the post-Trump future of the Republican Party, some Democrats are turning their sights on Vice President JD Vance — portraying him as an even more troubling prospect than the former president himself.
The latest volley came from former White House press secretary and MSNBC host Jen Psaki, who suggested that Vance poses a “heightened threat” to democracy, building on years of Democratic rhetoric that branded Trump as “Hitler” and “scary.” With Trump nearing 80 and constitutionally limited to one more term, Psaki and others are asking what comes next — and whom the MAGA movement will follow, writes NBC Right Now.
Appearing on the I’ve Had It podcast with hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan, Psaki framed the question bluntly: what happens “if biology catches up with Trump”? She predicted that “the cult” surrounding him would “completely fall apart” — but warned that Vance might prove even more dangerous if he stepped into the void.
“JD Vance wants to be President more than anything else,” Psaki said. “He’s willing to do anything to get there.”
“He’s scarier in certain ways [than Trump],” she continued. “He’s young and ambitious and agile in the sense that he is a chameleon who makes himself into whatever he thinks the audience wants to hear from him.”
Jen Psaki Says JD Vance is ‘Scarier’ Than Trump
“He's smarter in some ways, and he's young and ambitious.” 😱 pic.twitter.com/WHsfJlCr3U
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) October 21, 2025
Podcast host Welch dubbed Vance “the smokey eye sociopath,” teasing him over rumors about eyeliner and his supposed lack of “rizz,” or charisma. Psaki agreed. “JD Vance is … in some ways good-ish on paper if you like what he believes in. But I don’t know that he can take the whole [MAGA] movement with him. He’s got no rizz, right?” she said. “And he’s just a little odd … Trump’s odd in a different way. So I’m skeptical of that.”
The exchange reflected a broader Democratic habit of shifting alarm toward whichever Republican seems poised to inherit Trump’s base — from Mike Pence during his vice-presidency to Ron DeSantis during the 2024 primaries, and now to Vance as the likely heir apparent.
Psaki even took a personal swipe at Vance’s marriage to Usha Vance, a lawyer and the first Asian American second lady. “I always wonder what’s going on in the mind of his wife,” Psaki said. “Like, are you okay? Please blink four times. Come over here, we’ll save you.”
Vance has not responded publicly. But White House Communications Director Steven Cheung blasted Psaki’s comments on Twitter, writing: “Jen Psuki [sic] must be transferring her own personal issues onto others. @jrpsaki is a dumba** who has no comprehension of the truth and has to overcompensate for her lack of talent by saying untrue things. Circle back on that, moron.”
Psaki, who left the Biden administration to join MSNBC, now anchors the network’s 9 p.m. slot Tuesday through Friday — the time once dominated by Rachel Maddow.
As the 2028 election cycle begins to stir, Democrats’ rhetorical crosshairs appear to be shifting again — this time toward a younger, more disciplined figure in JD Vance, ensuring the narrative of fear surrounding the GOP endures even as Trump himself inches toward political twilight.
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