Will J. D. Vance Inherit MAGA?

Will J. D. Vance Inherit MAGA?

From The Political Scene | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

April 10, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

The episode discusses J. D. Vance's political journey and challenges in inheriting the MAGA movement.

The Washington Roundtable discusses Vice-President J. D. Vance’s week on the world stage: stumping for the Kremlin-aligned Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán and being tasked with leading American negotiations in Pakistan to resolve the war with Iran, a conflict he reportedly opposed. The panel explores the events and people that shaped Vance, and how his political evolution toward MAGA may not be enough to make him the Republican Presidential nominee in 2028. “Anyone who comes after Trump is going to have a really hard time inheriting a cult of personality and turning that back into a party,” the staff writer Susan B. Glasser says. Vance is “not this kind of charismatic movement leader.” This week’s reading: “ The Costs of Trump’s Iran-War Folly ,” by Susan B. Glasser “ Trump’s Strategic and Moral Failure in Iran ,” by David Remnick “ The Global Stakes of Hungary’s Pivotal Election ,” by Kapil Komireddi “ A U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Is Here, but Trump’s Stone Age Mentality Endures ,” by Ishaan Tharoor “ How the Internet Fringe Infiltrated Republican Politics ,” by Antonia Hitchens “ Israel’s War in Lebanon Has Not Stopped ,” by Isaac Chotiner “ An Economist’s Quest to Solve America’s…

People in this episode

Host: The New Yorker

Topics covered

  • J. D. Vance
  • MAGA
  • political evolution
  • Iran conflict
  • Republican nomination
  • Viktor Orbán
  • American politics

Keywords

  • J. D. Vance
  • MAGA
  • Viktor Orbán
  • Iran
  • Republican nomination
  • Susan B. Glasser
  • politics

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