“I want Stephan Kapustka to run for president in 2028.”
No, readers of The American Spectator, your eyes and ears do not deceive you. JD Vance, Vice President of the United States, said that at the White House press briefing yesterday. See for yourself.
JD Vance TROLLS reporter for asking him about 2028:
REPORTER: “If you don’t run, is there anyone in particular that you would want to see run?”
JD: “What is your name?”
REPORTER: “Stephan Kapustka, sir”
JD: “I want Stephan Kapustka
to run for President in 2028” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/VQoii7h4ZP— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 18, 2026
And no, it’s not AI. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
So, before I get my presidential campaign underway, I wanted to explore why I chose to ask what I did, and why Vance answered the way he did.
Anyone who gets into politics sees a president when they look in the mirror, even the lowliest congressional intern. That feeling is doubtlessly orders of magnitude greater in those who have actually attained some significant public office. Consider the presidential primary fields in both 2020 and 2024, full of nationally obscure congressmen, governors, and senators. All of those individuals were, by any objective metric, incredibly successful. But none of them came within spitting distance of actually winning their parties’ nominations, save perhaps in the fever dreams of the consultants whispering in their ears.
Combined with the fact that incumbent vice presidents almost always win their party’s nomination when they try, two truths become apparent: JD Vance obviously wants the job on some level, and he’ll never have a better opportunity than 2028. So while he says that he isn’t sure if he’s going to run, it’s very, very hard to see him not doing so.
But, for the moment, he’s publicly undecided. So what if? What if he doesn’t run? Who does he see carrying the mantle? Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State? Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida? Stephan Kapustka, writer for The American Spectator? I wanted to know.
Now, I didn’t expect him to actually answer the question. I wouldn’t have if I were him. The reason is simple: assuming Vance does actually plan on running, he wouldn’t want to put himself on the record praising any would-be opponents, or perhaps even prompting them to enter the race. Even if he doesn’t have any intention of running, it’s hard to imagine him getting out in front of President Donald Trump in choosing who to back. So, if I were Vance, I would have dodged the question. But seeing as I am not JD Vance, I wanted to know what he would say.
And, well, I learned. I’m not sure I would have advised him to endorse me for president, but hey, I won’t try to talk him out of it. The only hiccup is that I am currently just 27 years old (my grey hair notwithstanding), eight years short of the minimum required age. So Mr. Vice President, you have my solemn word that I’ll get right to work at becoming older.
