MAGA's heir apparent faces a fatal issue that tanked past campaigns

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio standing behind him, at the White House in Washington, D.C., April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

It is an issue that can prove insurmountable for a presidential campaign, and, in fact, it was credited with sinking one of the most high-profile candidates in recent memory: unshakeable proximity to a majorly unpopular president. Now, according to a new Politico report, it appears likely to sink MAGA's heir apparent as well.

For all the commendable things Kamala Harris was able to do with her abbreviated and unprecedented 2024 campaign, experts and pundits now largely agree that she just could not get past being the vice president for Joe Biden, a president who was disliked by a vast swath of the electorate. In fact, some still point to an appearance on The View in which she failed to separate herself from her boss enough as a huge misstep for her campaign. Even without that, however, it might have been impossible for her to convince voters that she would be different from Biden, given her work in his administration.

Looking ahead, these same headwinds already seem to be buffeting Vice President JD Vance, who, despite being remarkably unpopular, is still considered the favorite for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination, making him also the de facto heir to President Donald Trump's MAGA throne.

That throne is hardly as stable as it once seemed, however, as Trump continues to reach new lows in voter approval, with a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll published over the weekend finding that 65 percent of Americans disapprove of his handling of the economy and 76 percent disapprove of Trump’s handling of cost of living issues, two things that are dominating voter concerns heading into the midterms and 2028. Efforts by Trump and Vance to blame everything on Biden are only getting them so far, as the same poll found that 45 percent of Americans feel Trump bears some responsibility for the dire state of the economy.

"Vance’s fate is unavoidably linked to President Donald Trump’s," Politico's Tuesday report explained. "He’ll either carry the mantle of Trump’s accomplishments all the way into his own term in the White House — or be dragged down by Trump’s dismal approval ratings, which have spiraled amid an unpopular war in Iran and voters’ economic pessimism."

The Vice President made his first stop in the key presidential primary state of Iowa on Tuesday, appearing at a campaign rally for Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, who is considered to be in a battleground district. While he notably avoided any talk of 2028, the specter of Trump's agenda clouded the proceedings nevertheless.

"He credited the president repeatedly for tariffs, tax cuts and agriculture industry aid," the report added. "But his association with Trump’s agenda presents a high-risk, high-reward proposition that could make or break his political future, operatives and rallygoers said."

“That’s the risk of being part of an administration,” Iowa GOP strategist David Kochel said. “This is the Kamala Harris problem.”

This proximity issue is likely to confront many of the other names considered to be at the top of the 2028 list for the GOP, given that they are also currently working in the Trump administration. Along with Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is said to be gaining momentum within the party, with some whispers suggesting that he is preparing to exit the role soon to focus on his 2028 campaign, and to get as much distance as possible from Trump's flailing presidency.

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