Gushing Trump has viewers asking 'anyone seen JD Vance' as Musk dubbed new Vice President

In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity at the opulent Mar-a-Lago, US President Donald Trump lavished praise on tech titan Elon Musk, lauding him as the most intelligent person he could identify. Trump disclosed his fruitless search for someone more astute than Musk, stating: “I searched all over the country. I couldn’t find anyone smarter. So we settled on this guy.”

Musk, chuckling, responded: “Well, thanks for having me.”

The President’s glowing commendation of Musk, a key confidant and leader of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, has sparked intrigue and speculation online, with some viewing it as a slight against Vice President JD Vance.

This comes especially after Trump had previously dismissed the idea of Vance as his potential heir, saying “no” when questioned about it.

Social media was abuzz with reactions to the apparent snub, with one user posting a clip and querying, “Has anyone seen JD Vance?” Another humorously remarked: “You see Elon more than JD Vance lmao. Is Elon the VP all of a sudden??”

A different user jested: “It’s funny how Trump sends JD Vance off on side quests while him and Elon do things together lol.”

The scene has reignited chatter, showcasing Trump and key allies – as well as Donald Trump Jr having a bite to eat aboard their jet, with Vance’s no-show sparking curiosity. On Friday, at the White House, Musk underscored his thrust to pare back federal outlay and wield the axe on the government workforce under the DOGE banner.

Musk finds himself in troubled waters, facing heat from Congressional Democrats and naysayers over severe budget slashes at DOGE, cutting foreign assistance and axing jobs across government departments. “All we’re really trying to do here is restore the will of the people, through the president. And what we’re finding is that there’s an unelected bureaucracy that is implacably opposed to the president and the cabinet,” Musk told Hannity, confronting the Democrat-led resistance to DOGE’s strategies.

In an Oval Office session last week, Trump and Musk redoubled their advocacy for DOGE’s drastic curtailment of federal expenses. Empowered with fresh mandates to realise Trump’s America First agenda, the administration is courting controversy as it sets out to dismantle bodies such as the Department of Education and the US Agency for International Development while imposing stern immigration checks.

The tragic incident involving Delta Airlines on Monday has cast a sharp light on air safety concerns in the wake of the Trump administration’s controversial move to cut down the number of FAA employees—a change that some argue contributed to the horrific mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier this year, which claimed the lives of 67 people due to alleged understaffing issues. Since Trump resumed office for a second term, there has been a rapid downsizing of federal staff across various departments.

Despite worries regarding DOGE’s access to sensitive US government data systems and a legal challenge mounted by 14 Democratic states, a judge ruled against halting Musk and DOGE from both accessing government datasets and engaging in employee downsizing this Tuesday.

In a Fox News interview excerpt released on Sunday, Elon Musk contemplated his shifting image among political groups, acknowledging that he “I used to be adored by the left” but finds himself “less so these days” following his intertwined actions with the Trump regime. Musk also touched on the polarised political atmosphere, saying: “They call it Trump derangement syndrome. You don’t realise how real this is until you can’t reason with people,” and conveyed his exasperation over trying to engage in sensible debate with Democrats around the topic of the president, remarking: “It’s like they’ve become completely irrational.”

Trump, meanwhile, addressed the speculation of discord in the same interview, noting that media outlets are keen on fabricating a “divorce” narrative between him and Musk.

Trump has openly criticised the press, sharing an anecdote with his audience: “He said, ‘You know, they’re trying to drive us apart.’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’ You know, they said, ‘We have breaking news: Donald Trump has ceded control of the presidency to Elon Musk,'” and then remarking on the media’s efforts, “And I say, it’s just so obvious. They’re so bad at it. I used to think they were good at it. They’re actually bad at it, because if they were good at it, I’d never be president because I think nobody in history has ever gotten more bad publicity than me.”

From Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, Trump is currently busy implementing a slew of new executive actions following a series of his previous controversial mandates addressing trans rights and border security issues.

On Tuesday evening, Mar-a-Lago is set to host an extravagant awards ceremony spearheaded by America’s Future, the Flynn-led group devoted to preserving individual freedoms and promoting American culture and values. The event, celebrating the notion of American superiority, is to pay tribute to service members from each military branch—the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Space Force.

Guests can anticipate an opulent poolside opening, with musical acts and a banquet in the splendid Grand Ballroom at Mar-a-Lago, garnished with further accolades expected to be unveiled by celebrities like Russell Brand, Ted Nugent, and Mike Tyson. It’s not yet confirmed whether Trump will participate in this dazzling affair.