Elon Musk hails JD Vance as "future president" as Trump successor speculation mounts
Washington DC - Elon Musk said Friday that Vice President JD Vance will one day follow in his boss Donald Trump's footsteps as "future president."
"Best VP ever and our future President," tech billionaire Musk posted on his social media platform X.
Musk, the world's richest person and Trump's top donor during the 2024 presidential campaign, posted a similar message last week, saying: "Best VP ever and hopefully our future President."
Since taking office last month, Trump has given Musk vast authority to find ways to slash government spending and restructure and dismantle federal agencies, putting him at the helm of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
While classified as a "special government employee" and "senior adviser to the president," Musk has been seen more often at Trump's side during his first weeks in office than Vance.
Vance is the third-youngest vice president in history and one of the least experienced, having previously served just one term as a US senator.
A best-selling writer, Vance's view of Trump has changed significantly since the president's first stint in the White House.
Vance was an uncompromising "Never Trumper" at the time of Trump's first election, labeling the conservative tycoon "a moral disaster" and comparing him to Adolf Hitler.
Vance reinvented himself when he entered politics, winning Trump's endorsement in the 2022 Ohio Senate race.
The VP was overwhelmingly selected as best candidate to succeed Trump in the 2028 presidential elections in a straw poll during the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month.
Cover photo: Collage: REUTERS