Vance takes a step toward 2028 in MAGA power play

Vice President Vance stepped out of President Trump's shadow Wednesday, seizing on the GOP's midterm catastrophe to begin the explosive task of claiming MAGA as his own. "The reason we lost is the war," Vance wrote in an extraordinary 600-word postmortem on X , blaming Trump's Iran campaign for Republicans' historic collapse. Why it matters: Vance's presidential ambitions are entangled in the wreckage of a war he privately opposed but publicly defended. His path to 2028 demands a delicate political calculation. Vance must convince MAGA's disillusioned voters that he understands their sense of betrayal, even as he remains a central figure in the administration responsible for the Iran war. His maneuvering will take place under the gaze of a president who doesn't seem particularly eager to leave the stage — and who isn't shy about reining in those on his team who overstep. "Today, JD Vance became president — or acted like he wanted to become one," a source close to the administration told Axios. Zoom in: Vance argued that defections from Trump's 2024 coalition — not lack of turnout — drove the GOP's collapse in Tuesday's midterms. Citing polling of disaffected Trump voters, he identified four demands: "End the war." "Focus on cost of living/inflation." "Put America First." "Change our relationship to Israel." Those happen to be the four hottest topics among top MAGA podcasters and activists. So Vance is aligning with those leaders on topics where MAGA anger with Trump is raging. What they're saying: "If you'd like to argue [the war] was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so," Vance wrote. "Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest." Trump accepted that challenge Wednesday, acknowledging that the war had hurt Republicans but insisting it was worth the cost. "If I had to do it again, I'd have to do it again," he told reporters. "As far as that war is concerned, I would have done nothing diff