President Donald Trump is reportedly becoming increasingly uneasy following his fallout with Elon Musk, who has not only turned against him but is also publicly promoting Vice President JD Vance as a potential replacement.
Elon Musk’s recent claim linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein has heightened the former president’s paranoia, according to journalist and Trump biographer Michael Wolff.
Speaking on The Daily Beast Podcast, Wolff described Trump as feeling “cornered by people within his own camp,” notably Vance, the Ohio senator-turned-vice president.
Wolff highlighted that Trump “never fully trusted Vance” and saw him as “an unlikely Republican” whose appeal stemmed more from the tech world than traditional conservative bases.
Wolff said Trump was pressured by Musk into selecting Vance as his running mate. Now, Trump is expected to put Vance through what Wolff called a series of “tests” to prove his unwavering loyalty:
“He will set up what we will see as a set of tests that Vance is going to have to endure and pass,” Wolff said. “(Vance has) got to profess his absolute loyalty to Trump, or he will just be marginalized within the administration.”
As tensions between Musk and Trump grew, Vance sought to reassure Trump by stating, “I’m the vice president to President Trump. My loyalties are always going to be with the president,” adding, “I think it’s a huge mistake for (Musk) to go after the president like that.”
Wolff argued that this loyalty pledge may not be enough, suggesting, “Trump demands flattery on a constant basis,” implying that Vance will need to navigate carefully to retain Trump’s confidence.
Musk’s claim that Trump’s name appeared in Epstein’s files has been called an “existential threat” by Wolff:
“The Epstein stuff floats around Trump as a consistent threat, as a consistent silver bullet really,” Wolff said. “Musk could always bring back the threat.”
The White House Communications Director, Steven Chung, slammed Wolff in response:
“He (Wolff) is an imbecile of the highest order, and his Trump Derangement Syndrome-addled brain has caused him to lead a miserable existence devoid of reality,” Chung said via Daily Beast.
“Nothing he says is the truth and he resorts to outlandish falsehoods in order to stay relevant since Father Time has passed him by 20 years ago,” Chung added, calling Wolff “a blithering idiot who has been widely discredited due to his blatant lies and fabrications.”