Can Trump replace JD Vance as his running mate?

Donald Trump’s selection of JD Vance as his running mate “may be one of the best things he ever did for Democrats,” according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Seemingly every day, the Republican senator from Ohio has made headlines for resurfaced misogynistic comments, awkward campaign appearances and fringe policy positions on issues that the former president’s campaign has desperately been trying to avoid.

Vance stepped off the stage of the Republican National Convention with the worst favorability ratio of any non-incumbent vice presidential candidate in nearly 45 years, while presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris erased Trump’s leads in crucial swing states and saw a surge in donations within just weeks of her candidacy.

He later was revealed as a close collaborator with the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 authors and a natalist evangelist with a history of supporting extreme ideas about abortion care and IVF.

Trump has defended his running mate, who he sees as a bridge to a new generation of far-right populists reshaping a Republican Party made in his MAGA image.

But Vance’s campaign trail debut has left some speculating whether Trump could end up kicking him off. There isn’t a dedicated Trump-Vance campaign website, and the former president’s campaign page doesn’t include Vance at all.

It is still technically possible, but a decision would likely have to come very soon.

Republican and Democratic parties have separate rules for deciding who ends up on the ticket, but states will begin printing and mailing out absentee ballots as early as September.

Most states require parties to submit their presidential candidates within 60 to 75 days before Election Day, which falls on November 5 this year. That