JD Vance ready for presidency, but says Trump in ‘good health’
In an exclusive interview, Vice President JD Vance said while he is ready for the presidency, President Donald Trump is in “good health.”
WASHINGTON − The first time Vice President JD Vance walked into the Oval Office, he noticed the drapes (“dark and gloomy”) – but he insists he’s not measuring them for a future turn behind the Resolute Desk.
“I’ve gotten a lot of good on-the-job training over the last 200 days,” Vance said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY on Aug. 27, when asked if he was ready to assume the role of commander in chief.
His boss, after all, is the oldest person to have been sworn in as president of the United States. President Donald Trump was 78 when he began his second term in office.
“The president is an incredibly good health,” said Vance. “He’s got incredible energy.”
Watch the full interview of USA TODAY’s exclusive with JD Vance here:
JD Vance on 200 days of ‘on-the-job training’
JD Vance sits down for an exclusive interview with White House correspondent Francesca Chambers to discuss his first 200 days as vice president.
The wide-ranging interview covered topics including his televised spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce engagement and the president’s controversial efforts to oust a Federal Reserve governor.
While the question of Trump’s age had been raised throughout his presidential campaign by Democrats and even his own primary opponent Nikki Haley (Haley’s campaign released a campaign ad titled “Grumpy Old Men” casting both former President Joe Biden and Trump as stumbling seniors), concerns around Trump’s health have resurfaced in recent months.
The White House announced in July that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common vein condition, after images taken of the president showed visible swelling in his lower legs.
Sean Barbabella, the White House physician, described the condition as “benign and common” in a memo, saying they were “consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking.”
Vance was eager to present a positive outlook on his boss’s health, saying although most people who work with the president are younger than he is, Trump keeps the longest work hours.
“He’s the last person making phone calls at night, and he’s the first person who wakes up and the first person making phone calls in the morning,” he said.
Trump was the target of two assassination attempts last year while campaigning as a presidential candidate.
In July 2024, Trump was shot by a 20-year-old gunman at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bullet struck and injured the upper part of his right ear. Days later, Trump wore a large white bandage on his ear while attending the Republican National Convention to accept his party’s presidential nomination.
In September, a Secret Service agent helped stop a second assassination attempt by spotting a man with a rifle hiding in shrubbery near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“Yes, terrible tragedies happen,” Vance said. “But I feel very confident the president of the United States is in good shape, is going to serve out the remainder of his term and do great things for the American people.
“And if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days,” he added.
Francesca Chambers and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy are White House correspondents for USA TODAY.