Fans of current US vice-president JD Vance have already taken to calling him “48,” anticipating that the former Ohio senator will be the next president of the United States. But, says expert Sarah Baxter, Vance can expect a “cage fight” if he hopes to succeed Donald Trump.

The 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution, which dates back to the early 1950s, states that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” However, Trump has repeatedly stated that he is "not joking" about wanting to serve a third term as US president.

He told NBC said that "there are methods” to securing a third term. "I'm not joking,” he added. “A lot of people want me to do it, but, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it's very early in the administration."

One of the “methods” he might use, Trump supporters suggest, is a “loophole” in the wording of the amendment, as the document only rules out a candidate being “elected” for a third term.

They say he could potentially become running mate to another candidate – for example Vance – and then “succeed” to the presidency after the new president has stepped aside.

Asked whether Vance should succeed him as the Republican Party’s chosen mandate in 2028, Trump told Fox News: “No, but he's very capable.

“I mean, I don't think that it, you know, I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far, I think he's doing a fantastic job. It’s too early, we're just starting.”

Sarah Baxter further points out in The i Paper that Vance has rarely been seen by the US public, and appears to have been sent on all the overseas trips that Trump can’t be bothered with.

Those trips have not all been successful: “His attempted love-bombing of Greenland was a disaster, which ended in the sacking of the US Space Force commander at its Pituffik base in Greenland.”

Vance’s wife, Usha, told US news site the Free Press that her husband was quite an isolated figure, and that she had become his closest adviser: “I don’t know that he’s asking me for advice so much as it can be a very lonely, lonely world not to share with someone.”

Trump’s previous pick for vice president, Mike Pence, declined to endorse his former boss for president in 2024, having been the target of an angry MAGA mob who refused to accept the results of the 2020 election and stormed the Capitol.

An inquiry into the January 6 riot found that, after the crowd began chanting “hang Mike Pence”, Trump expressed support for the idea.

Pence said at the time: “I’m incredibly proud of the record of our administration, but that being said, during my presidential campaign, I made it clear there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues. And not just our differences on our constitutional duties that I exercised on Jan. 6.”

A similar rift with Vance would seem a long way off, at present, with political expert Sarah pointing out that the VP “usually adopts the most slavish pro-Trump positions” on social media.

Whether all of Vance’s support for Trump will be repaid with an endorsement in 2028 remains to be seen. As it currently stands, he could be lucky to even get a second run at being vice-president.

Some insiders have noted that Texas senator Ted Cruz is a strong contender for the Republican nomination for 2028. However, it seems that even Cruz could struggle.

Trump’s one-time right-hand man, Steve Bannon, says that Trump could "run and win again", adding there were "a couple of alternatives" in determining how it might be achieved.