Emily Haber, the former German ambassador to Washington, expects Vice President JD Vance to seek the presidency in the 2028 elections, a prediction she relayed to Focus. Haber believes Vance will face significant hurdles, however, noting that he cannot credibly distance himself from the executive branch or exit the cabinet like Foreign Minister Marco Rubio.
Regarding the recent Midterms, Haber observed that the Democrats achieved their most significant victory since 1974. She interprets the Vice President’s statement-that the election loss stemmed from the Iran war-as a maneuver to reduce the migration of large voter groups (who previously supported Trump in 2024) down to a single cause.
While this statement might initially appear as an attempt to signal distance from the current US President, Haber argues that focusing solely on one issue obscures other critical problems voters perceive, such as the economic climate, inflation, mortgage interest rates, corruption, and self-enrichment. Therefore, she concludes that it is not a genuine attempt to distance himself, especially since Trump never refuted the claim.
Haber further explained that President Donald Trump’s reluctance regarding the election results stems from his desire to remain a “kingmaker.” She stated that he has an interest in ensuring the party does not turn against him and his family under future leadership. For Trump, loyalty is the crucial standard, superseding overall success, and he will undoubtedly secure his own immunity from prosecution.
