A day after JD Vance suggested Donald Trump would endorse him if he runs for president, the vice-president shifted awkwardly in the Oval Office as his boss was asked about the remark.

“He’s a very talented person, and he’s a very good person,” Trump said of the man standing behind him, with a forced smile this week. “But we’ve literally – I don’t think we’ve ever talked about,” the president claimed, leaving the assertion unconfirmed.

As the campaign for the congressional midterms has intensified, the vice-president’s visibility has risen. If Trump and Vance truly have yet to discuss his presidential prospects, they are firmly in the minority in Washington.

While many aspects of this political era remain extraordinary, the core question hanging over Vance is one that has been asked for decades: is the vice-presidency a platform, or a poisoned chalice, for those who dare to dream of higher office?

Having spent only two years as a US senator before Trump tapped him in 2024 as his running mate, Vance has…