Donald Trump May Replace JD Vance Within 10 Days—Chuck Schumer

Following reports that Donald Trump may have regrets picking Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said on Sunday that the former president may replace him within 10 days.

Reports have emerged that Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, may regret picking Vance as his vice presidential candidate amid President Joe Biden dropping out of the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president in this year's election.

In addition, speculation has continued grow as the senator has been met with backlash and bad press amid resurfaced remarks in which he said the United States is run by "childless cat ladies" during an interview with Fox News in 2021.

However, those reports have continued to be denied by Trump's campaign and Trump himself.

Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, denied the reports in a statement to Newsweek on Tuesday, "President Trump is thrilled with the choice he made with Senator Vance, and they are the perfect team to take back the White House. And any reporting to the contrary is nothing but ridiculous fake news from either nonexistent sources or individuals who have no idea what's going on. Meanwhile, Democrats are in complete disarray after their coup that forcibly removed Biden from the campaign, proving they are the real threats to democracy."

In an appearance on CBS News' Face the Nation, Schumer spoke on Sunday about the recent addition of Vance as Trump's running mate.

"The addition of JD Vance to this ticket is incredibly a bad choice. I think Donald Trump, I know him and I think he's probably sitting and watching the TV and everyday it comes out Vance has done something more extreme, more weird, more erratic. And I bet Trump is sitting there scratching his head and wondering why did I pick this guy," Schumer said.

The Senate majority leader continued: "The choice may be one of the best things he ever did for Democrats. Now the president [Trump] has about 10 days before the Ohio ballot is locked in and he has a choice. Does he keep Vance on the ticket, where he already has a lot of baggage and probably is going to have more baggage...or does he pick someone new?"

In an emailed statement to Newsweek on Sunday afternoon, Cheung condemned Schumer's remarks and maintained that Trump is "thrilled" with his running mate choice.

"President Trump is thrilled with the choice he made with Senator Vance to be his running mate, and they are the perfect team to take back the White House. Meanwhile, Democrats are in complete disarray after their coup that forcibly removed Biden from the campaign, proving they are the real threats to democracy. The fact remains that Kamala Harris is weak, failed, and dangerously liberal, and no amount of gaslighting from her moronic, too-online campaign, or idiots like Chuck Schumer, will erase her despicable record," he said.

Newsweek has reached out to Schumer via email and Vance's spokesperson via text message for comment.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, speaks as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, looks on at Capitol Hill on July 23 in Washington, D.C. Following reports that Donald... Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, speaks as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, looks on at Capitol Hill on July 23 in Washington, D.C. Following reports that Donald Trump may have regrets picking Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate, Schumer said on Sunday that the former president may replace him within 10 days. More Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

According to Mitchell Brown, a political science professor at Auburn University, if Trump did want to replace Vance, he could.

"There's a clear deadline for filing to be on a ballot in each of the states," Brown previously told Newsweek, adding that as long as a new vice presidential candidate is picked before that deadline, they can replace Vance.

However, Brown warns it wouldn't be as simple as Trump just choosing a running mate the second time around as she referenced the Republican National Committee's (RNC) rules adopted in 2020.

The rules state that a vacancy of the Republican presidential nominee or their running mate may be filled by the RNC or the RNC could reconvene its national convention to vote for a replacement.

Brown also pointed out a couple of concerns with Trump switching vice presidential candidates: "Stability, the time it takes to gear up a campaign once you have your nominees and run a good campaign."

The ongoing speculation comes after Trump picked Vance as his running mate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15 as Vance is the first non-incumbent vice presidential nominee to have a net-negative favorable rating after a convention since 1980, poll numbers show. His rating was at -6 points after the convention, according to CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten.

"I have gone all the way back since 1980. He is the first guy, immediately following a convention—a VP pick—who actually had a net-negative favorable rating," Enten said on CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront on Tuesday night. "The average since 2000 is +19 points. JD Vance [is] making history in the completely wrong way."