Donald Trump and his inner circle are facing a storm of controversy after leaked messages from a private Signal group raised serious questions about his credibility as a leader.But are there other threats facing the president as well?
With Donald Trump back in the White House for less than 100 days, questions are already surfacing about the stability of his administration.
According to veteran political analyst Adam Boulton, Trump’s biggest threat may not come from the Democratic opposition but from within his own administration — specifically, his Vice President, JD Vance.Boulton suggests that Trump’s unpredictable leadership style could ultimately weaken his position. Writing in The i, he noted, ”Should Trump become more of an unpredictable liability — tanking the economy with tariffs, say, or pushing America into an armed confrontation with an ally — then Republicans, including cabinet members, may decide that his comparatively squeaky-clean, family-oriented VP is a better bet to keep them in power.”
The challenges facing Trump’s presidency
Since returning to office, Trump has enacted a wave of executive orders, some of which have unsettled even his strongest supporters.
His administration has taken aggressive stances on trade, imposing tariffs on key allies like Canada and Mexico. He has also made controversial foreign policy moves, such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico, temporarily halting aid to Ukraine, and initiating the deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador. His aggressive tone toward Greenland has also sparked reactions, with some fearing he intends to take control of the island.
These erratic decisions, coupled with Trump’s history of personal and political controversies, have reportedly caused unease within his inner circle. As tensions mount, some within the administration may view JD Vance as a more stable alternative.
JD Vance’s complicated history with Trump
Vance, a former venture capitalist and author of Hillbilly Elegy, once harshly criticized Trump, even referring to him as “America’s Hitler.”
However, his views shifted over time, and he has since positioned himself as one of Trump’s most loyal allies.
JD Vance’s reputation as one of Trump’s most trusted allies took a hit following the Signal group scandal and the leaked messages sent to journalist Jeffrey Goldberg. In the chats, Vance appeared to voice subtle criticism of Trump, raising eyebrows among political observers.
According to Goldberg — The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, who was inadvertently included in the conversation — Vance questioned whether the president realized the contradiction in his stance. While Trump pushed for a unilateral U.S. attack on the Houthis to protect international shipping lanes, he simultaneously demanded that European nations shoulder more of the burden for similar efforts.
“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now,” Vance wrote in the chat, according to Goldberg.
Serving as Vice President, JD Vance occupies one of the most powerful roles in the country — and, if political circumstances demand it, could be in line to take over the presidency. While some conservatives see Vance as a pragmatic choice to lead the country should Trump falter, others question his ideological consistency.
His evolving stance on Trump raises concerns about how he would govern if given the opportunity.
A nation on edge
This discussion about Trump’s stability comes at a time when democracy in the U.S. is facing scrutiny. Staffan Lindberg, a political scientist at V-Dem, warned that “the USA now seems to be heading towards a transition away from democracy under President Trump. In my view, the reverberations of this are and will be enormous across the world.”
Tara Setmayer, a former Republican communications director, echoed these concerns, telling The Guardian: ”We are approaching Defcon 1 for our democracy, and a lot of people in the media and the opposition leadership don’t seem to be communicating that to the American people. That is the biggest danger of the moment we’re in now: the normalization of it.”
Some of Trump’s actions have only intensified these concerns. In a widely reported incident, a French scientist was allegedly barred from entering the U.S. after border officials found text messages on his phone that criticized the Trump administration.
France’s minister of higher education and research condemned the move, stating that the researcher was denied entry ”because the researcher’s phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy.”
How could Trump be removed from office?
If political tensions within the administration continue to escalate, there are several ways Trump could be removed from power. The most well-known option is impeachment, a process Trump survived twice during his first term.
Another possibility is the invocation of the 25th Amendment. Under this process, Vice President Vance and a majority of the cabinet could declare Trump ”unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
Trump would have the right to challenge this decision, at which point Congress would step in. A two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate would be required to permanently remove him from office.
A third scenario could be political pressure leading to Trump’s resignation, similar to what happened with President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. While such an outcome may seem unlikely, Trump’s unpredictable nature and mounting tensions within his administration could push Republicans to consider alternative leadership.
Would a Vance presidency be any different?
Even if JD Vance were to take over, there’s no guarantee he would lead the country in a dramatically different direction. Many experts argue that Vance has aligned himself so closely with Trump that his presidency might simply be an extension of the current administration.
Regardless of what unfolds in the coming months, one thing is clear: the Trump White House remains as unpredictable as ever, and the possibility of internal power struggles is very real. As the administration faces increasing scrutiny, all eyes will be on JD Vance — whether as Trump’s loyal second-in-command or as a potential replacement.