Vance Makes Move After White House Freeze-Outs

Politics admin June 16, 2026 0 Comments

Vice President JD Vance has tapped MAGA loyalist Nick Luna to be his new chief of staff.

During the first Trump administration, Luna served as director of Oval Office operations and remained loyal to President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection attempt.

The hiring move comes after Jacob Reses, Vance’s current chief of staff, who has been with him since first being elected to the Senate in 2022, said he would leave the role by the end of the summer. Reses cited his wife’s pregnancy as his reason for leaving the role.

Luna is not expected to take the new role until August, Punchbowl reported.

Luna has a close relationship with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Wiles had tapped him to run operations within the vice presidential search before Vance was picked as the nominee.

During that time, Luna built a close working relationship with Vance and his team, according to Punchbowl.

The hiring move, especially bringing on someone so close to the White House’s core operations, comes as Vance has reportedly been shut out of high-level discussions.

After Tulsi Gabbard announced her departure from the Trump administration, the Daily Mail reported that her resignation had left Vance “more isolated than ever.”

Before working for Trump, Gabbard and Vance had been staunchly opposed to U.S. military operations in the Middle East, but have publicly voiced support for Trump’s war in Iran.

But the administration has put Vance at the forefront of its Iran negotiations, with the vice president publicly touting a deal, the details of which have not been made public, as he goes on a media tour to promote his new book.

The hiring move also comes as Vance is seen as the natural frontrunner to take over the MAGA movement in the 2028 presidential election. Punchbowl reported Luna’s political skills are seen as valuable as Vance potentially launches a presidential run.

Trump has repeatedly toyed with the idea of a joint ticket between Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, although the president has refused to endorse either and continually asked guests at Mar-a-Lago which of the two they prefer.

Vance has publicly asserted that he is not thinking about 2028, telling reporters earlier this month, “There are few topics that I want to talk about less than what office I’m going to run for years down the road when I’m having a good time and trying to do good work in the job that the American people already elected me to do.”