Overview
- The New York Times reported on May 30 that Trump has asked allies if Vance can “go all the way” and has privately raised doubts about the vice president’s independent political strength.
- The Times said West Wing officials, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, advised Vance to scale back combative social media exchanges because they were “beneath his office.”
- White House Communications Director Steven Cheung and other aides rejected that account, calling the social‑media conversation fabricated and saying the paper refused to run their quotes.
- Reporting notes Trump still values Vance’s loyalty and keeps him involved in major decisions even as he compares Vance to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in informal polls of allies.
- The dispute highlights two risk areas for Vance — repeated critiques of his policy judgment and public optics, such as remarks about vacations and the trophy incident — and it may shape early jockeying for the post‑Trump GOP leadership.