Trump Flubbing JD Vance's Name Shows Just How Disconnected They Really Are
President Donald Trump has had a complicated relationship with Vice President JD Vance since he picked Vance as his running mate in July 2024. Trump might've even shown signs that he's still a little bitter about Vance's anti-MAGA past before the Ohio native switched teams. Trump's inauguration, however, might only fuel rumors about the secret division between himself and his right-hand man.
During the ceremony, Trump tried to give Vance credit for the latter's role in the 2024 election. But Trump couldn't do so without flubbing Vance's name in the process before quickly correcting his mistake. It wasn't quick enough, however, as the blunder was caught in a clip posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "How good is JB? JD has been great," Trump said. Although it might've been an honest slip of the tongue, it's not the first time Trump fumbled Vance's name.
In 2022, "The Apprentice" star also struggled when he endorsed Vance for the Ohio Senate race. "We've endorsed J.P. — right? J.D. Mandel and he's doing great. They're all doing good," he said during the rally. Seeing as they'll be spending the next four years together, that's plenty of time for Trump to get Vance's name consistently right. Unless, of course, the business mogul is fumbling his name on purpose.
Donald Trump said the vice presidency has no impact on his election
JD Vance wasn't Donald Trump's only pick to be his running mate. He considered other potential candidates like North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. But in the end, Trump's gut instinct told him to pick Vance, who Donald Trump Jr. and Tucker Carlson also vouched for. The idea was that Vance's working-class upbringing and tragic real-life story could help Trump score key states. "He just said, 'Look, I think we gotta go save this country. I think you're the guy who can help me in the in the best way,'" Vance told Fox News (via CNN). "'You can help me govern. You can help me win. You can help me in some of these Midwestern states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and so forth.'"
But in an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump downplayed the role of the vice presidency when it came to winning elections. "I've always had great respect for him ... but I will say this, and I think this is well documented historically, the vice-president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact. I mean, virtually no impact," Trump said. Given Trump's historic win, perhaps Vance changed the president's mind.