Trump turns GOP succession chaos into must-watch TV —and nobody can stop him

The brewing battle to succeed President Donald Trump in the White House is shaping up to be anything but simple, and according to a new breakdown from The i Paper, Trump himself is meddling in the process because it makes for "good television."

Vice President JD Vance has long been considered the default favorite for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination, but a number of factors, including his own historic unpopularity, are complicating the easy trajectory. As columnist and reporter James Ball noted in a Monday piece for The i Paper, "cracks" are starting to show in the already "weird" relationship between Trump and Vance, just as party strategists are getting ready to put the search for the 2028 nominee into high gear. While the vice president "clearly wants to be that man," Trump "is hardly trying to make that easier."

"He is fond of 'joking,' in a way where no one is quite sure if he is serious, that he would like to stand for a third term, even though the Constitution bars it," Ball wrote. He is also fond of making belittling comments about Vance. Asked, shortly after picking Vance as his running mate in 2024, whether he would be ready 'on day one,' Trump instead answered that the choice of VP 'makes no difference' in the election. 'You’re voting for the president,' he answered. Hardly a ringing endorsement."

He added later: "Behind closed doors, Trump reportedly expresses doubts over Vance’s suitability as his heir even more clearly. Vance has hardly always been on the Trump train, of course – famously, he once likened Trump to Adolf Hitler, before changing course after realising his own political future relied on siding with the President."

Trump later added that there are "a lot of capable people" who could be president after him, which Ball chalked up to his fondness for "belittling his subordinates and playing them off against each other."

Ultimately, Ball wrote, Trump is a "reality television president," and he is motivated primarily by what sorts of narratives and decisions would pull good ratings. While the easiest path would be to set Vance up as his successor, given that he is "surrounded by people who are trying to use the President to further their political agendas" or careers, he cannot help but make them battle for the position — a battle that makes for "good television."

"He knows that the battle to succeed him is box office," Ball wrote. "He knows that playing favourites off against each other is good television. He loves a spectacle, and he loves people fighting for his approval. Vance was never going to get the President to change that. If Vance wants the Trump endorsement, he’s going to have to work for it – and he should prepare himself for a long, long battle."