Absolutely. You wouldn't say he's on the ropes now exactly but he's gotten knocked back a bit. There's plenty of room to stick it to him a bit. More than there was back then, certainly!

If Vance feels comfortable openly musing about how much Presidential prep he's had in the last 200 days (a half dozen vacations notwithstanding) then Trump may be more on the ropes than commonly recognized.

Ha yeah. He was pretty wild for that ngl. No idea what's going through his head.

"Trump dies or leaves in disgrace and President Vance is at the helm for 2026-28" is........ definitely not the worst of the paths before us

Oh absolutely not the worst! I'd say "lower ceiling" in that President Vance mabye does less further damage to the GOP brand than President Trump would have during the same two years. But "higher floor" in that "global thermonuclear war" immediately becomes way less likely lol.

It also all but guarantees a vicious succession crisis within the GOP.

Have we considered that this could be very, very funny? www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukJ5...

Oh it's IMPOSSIBLE to live through this era without thinking of this five times a day. But yes. Our version would be even more grotesque. You just hope we get the chace to laugh at it sooner than "many decades later".

heh yeah and that's where you get a lot of the REAL fun scenarios and also the ball-freezingly terrifying ones. I mean, this website would be having the time of its life during the Year of Four Presidents or whatever but there could be some downsides lol.

Stephen Miller, proclaimed president by the Danube Legions, skirmishes with forces of Kirsti Noem, supported by the Praetorian Guard

Absolutely NONE of these clowns would remember that the legions are KIND of expecting a donative at this juncture and there might be some misunderstandings if that doesn't materialize. (Norms! Norms matter!)

And nobody likes Vance anyway so I don't think he really SALVAGES the GOP brand during that time. And he'll be living (as will we!) with whatever economic Trump Chaos currently looms.

I'd go a step farther and say that not only does nobody like Vance, I doubt anyone fears him (Thiel's purse notwithstanding) and you don't see other Republicans rolling over for him because they don't want to be primaried.

Indeed, I think Vance's ascension makes space for a succession crisis in the GOP, and I don't think there's an obvious heir apparent.

I mean, it’s Don jr since Ivanka bowed out

Right I mean ABSOLUTELY he's one of the guys who thinks "well obviously it should be me". But he's like Vance! Nobody likes him, and even FEWER people take him seriously. (Junior thought/thinks Vance is a hip intellectual to look up to!)

No there really isn't, is there? And there are a TON of folks who no doubt believe they ARE that heir apparent. Which is a recipe for some wildly entertaining stuff! But hopefully not the SCARY kind of "entertaining".

Someone else said it the other day, but nominating JD Vance was, at least partly, a move to say "There is no good successor. It's me and no one else." Porfirio Diaz ass move.

They’ve made Trump irreplaceable. The coalition falls apart the minute he croaks.

it would also be very effective to show that the government (the parts that are helpful to you) is shut down but sections like ICE are still getting paid/bonuses/etc. build that resentment.