Vance Pivots to Build His Own Brand After Midterm Losses

Vice President JD Vance is shifting his political strategy after Republicans lost control of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections, focusing on his own policy portfolio rather than President Donald Trump's signature issues. The change is seen as an early step toward building his brand for a potential 2028 presidential run. Vance has emphasized economic nationalism, foreign policy restraint, and public safety in recent speeches, while bypassing Trump's policies on the Iran war and deportations. In a Wednesday social media post, he blamed the Iran war for the Republican defeat and called for a swift end to the conflict, a stance that publicly diverges from Trump's defense of the war. Trump reshuffled senior White House leadership on Friday, replacing chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller. Vance's post was known to Wiles in advance, and Trump has acknowledged the war's role in the defeat while saying he would have done nothing different. Other potential 2028 contenders, including Ted Cruz and Ron DeSantis, have also offered their own diagnoses of the midterm loss.