JD Vance Casts Doubt Over 2028 Presidential Run – 'We've Got 4 Kids and My Wife Has Never Loved Politics'
J.D. Vance says 'there's a chance' he may not run for president in 2028, despite being frontrunner to succeed Donald Trump.
Oct. 19 2026, Updated 8:18 a.m. ET
J.D. Vance says "there's a chance" he will not run for president in 2028.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the veep, 42, was grilled about his presidential chances in a new interview when he dropped the bombshell that running for presidency was not a formality.
Family May Decide Fate
Vance admits family commitments may make job hard.
He explained his wife Usha and four children will help make the decision for him, despite being the frontrunner to take over from Donald Trump as Republican nominee.
On the prospect of sitting out the next election, Vance said: "Of course there's a chance.
"We've got four little kids, my wife has never loved politics. She loves public service.
"I think you know you can do a lot of good in this job, and I’ve tried to do as much good as possible."
The vice president said he has yet to make up his mind about a potential White House bid, describing himself as a "procrastinator" when it comes to major life decisions.
Trump Says Vance Is 'Most Likely' Successor
Trump has gone on record to back Vance's chances of taking over.
Speaking during a CBS News town hall event in Michigan, he said: "The way that I think about life, big life decisions — my wife will tell you this: I'm a procrastinator. I hate thinking about it."
The vice president indicated that he plans to give the question more serious consideration after the November midterm elections, rather than commit to a campaign while the Trump administration is still navigating its current agenda.
His comments come as Vance is widely viewed as an early frontrunner to succeed Trump, who has described his deputy as his "most likely" Republican successor.
Should Vance succeed Trump, it would mean a more high-profile exposure to Second Lady Usha, who has previously acknowledged that she and her husband do not always agree on political issues.
Usha's Political Views Can Jar With Both Political Sides
Usha quit her job as a lawyer when Vance became veep.
The 40-year-old left her job as a high-powered lawyer when her husband became Trump's second in command.
She’s appeared frequently by the vice president’s side during his time in office and assembled her own small staff.
In a March interview with NBC News, Usha said she sometimes holds views that do not fit neatly within traditional political camps.
She said: "Sometimes I have thoughts that fit very comfortably into one side or another.
"Sometimes I have views that are way more idiosyncratic."
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Vance and his wife welcomed their fourth child in July.
Usha also made clear that she sees herself as a sounding board for her husband rather than a political operative, explaining: "I'm not his staffer. I’m not involved in this in any professional sense," Usha added that there is "no exception that we are going to see eye to eye on everything."
The Vances welcomed their fourth child, a baby boy called Alec Neel Vance, in July.
Alec, the first child born to a sitting vice president in more than 150 years, joins older siblings Ewan, nine; Vivek, six; and Mirabel, four.
The last sitting vice president to become a new father was Schuyler Colfax, who had a son, Schuyler Colfax III, in 1870 while serving under former president Ulysses S Grant.
