JD Vance 'absolutely' sure Trump thinks he could be president if needed

The GOP vice presidential candidate spoke with ABC's Jonathan Karl.

August 10, 2024, 1:57 PM

Sen. JD Vance affirmed former President Donald Trump's assertion that the vice presidential pick doesn't matter to the vast majority of voters. However, Vance stressed he's "absolutely" sure Trump is confident he could step up as commander in chief if needed.

As part of a wide-ranging interview airing Sunday morning, "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl asked Vance about recent comments by Trump on whether Vance would be ready to be president "on Day 1" if needed, which Trump did not answer directly.

"He made it the main focus of his vetting process, is, 'Do I think this person can be president on Day 1 if, God forbid, something happens?' Yes," Vance said.

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance is interviewed by ABC News' Jon Karl on Aug. 10, 2024.
ABC News

The Ohio senator said voters are more focused on the candidates at the top of the ticket instead of the vice presidential pick.

"They're voting for Donald Trump or for Kamala Harris, not for JD or Tim Walz," he said. "I also think that he's right that the politics of this really don't matter that much."

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