JD Vance seizes MAGA spotlight as Republicans begin looking beyond Trump
Republican party leaders are looking for signs of who might eventually carry President Donald Trump's movement forward.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance during his speech at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas on Thursday | REUTERS
REUTERS
Sep 11, 2026
Dallas – U.S. Vice President JD Vance took center stage at the Republican convention in Dallas on Thursday in a speech seen as an early test of his 2028 White House prospects, offering a message of nationalistic pride that resonated with the pro-Trump crowd.
As party leaders grapple with slipping approval ratings and uncertainty over November’s midterm elections, they are also looking for signs of who might eventually carry U.S. President Donald Trump’s movement forward.
Trump followed Vance with closing remarks and offered little commentary from the stage on his vice president’s high-profile appearance, instead imploring supporters to vote Republican on Nov. 3, the stated purpose of the first-of-its-kind midterm convention.
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