(NewsNation) — As President-elect Donald Trump assembles his incoming administration, there are questions about what role Vice President-elect JD Vance will play in the new White House.
Vance has kept a lower profile since the election, returning to the Senate recently as part of a failed effort to block the confirmation of a handful of President Joe Biden’s remaining judicial nominees.
He also lobbied GOP senators to support two of Trump’s most contentious cabinet picks, one of whom, Matt Gaetz, dropped out a day later.
On the campaign trail, Vance often played a role that was part attack dog, part defender of MAGA policies. When the campaign rolled out a controversial policy, Vance would often be the No. 1 voice defending it.
He may reprise that role in the White House, just as he was sent to the Senate to try to usher through the nominations of Gaetz and Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator who Trump has nominated for secretary of defense.
The Trump administration is going to have big agenda items they want to get forward through Congress come January, and it may rely on Vance and his connections in the Senate to muscle things through.
Another question is whether Vance will become the heir apparent to the MAGA movement. Trump only has one term left, leaving a space open for his successor in the party.
On the campaign trail, Trump suggested that wasn’t set in stone, with Trump suggesting it could be someone else who takes the reins.
What will be interesting to watch will be the dynamics between Trump and those who have his ear, including Vance and billionaire Elon Musk.
Based on his first term, there’s an expectation that Trump will rely on the opinions of people around him beyond the vice president.
Whether Vance will remain front and center as the administration takes form or is relegated to a behind-the-scenes role remains to be seen.