‘Trump Doesn’t Like Him’: Trump Shoves JD Vance Into the Spotlight to Clean Up His Mess — Vance Tries to Flip It Back but Quickly Realizes He’s Been Set Up
Vice President JD Vance was thrust into the spotlight after he and his wife, Usha Vance, took a trip to Budapest, Hungary, earlier this week.
President Donald Trump put Vance on the spot in front of thousands—and for a brief second, he looked like he might turn it into a win. But as the exchange unfolded, the energy shifted. The moment stopped being about Vance and started orbiting around his boss.
The vice president was left scrambling as he tried to laugh it off and smooth it over, but his reaction told a different story—one of someone realizing, a little too late, that the moment was never really his to control.
Vance tried to project U.S. loyalty and repair strained global ties after Trump’s relationships took a hit, but the stunt backfired when a live onstage call to Trump fizzled, leaving him set up in another humiliating moment that had critics saying he’s still chasing approval he may never get.
Vance said, “Let’s hope he actually answers. So, this is going to be very embarrassing.” Indeed, it was only embarrassing for him and others watching as he made the expected call, but Trump didn’t answer.
“Alright,” said Vance as the voicemail prompt stated, ‘I’m sorry. The person you were trying to reach has a voicemail box that has not been set up yet.’ OK. Try one more time,” he added, as he looked into his phone, frazzled over whether Trump would pick up a second time.
“Gotta get a good signal here,” Vance said before putting the phone to his ear as he tried the call again. “It’s ringing. It’s progress.”
This time, Trump answered, Vance put him on speaker and said, “Hello, Mr. President. How are you?” The 79-year-old was about to give Vance the brush-off again, that is, until he heard the roars from the crowd cheering for him.
“Hi. Hey, JD, could you give me a second —” the president said before he heard the loud applause. “Wow! That’s some, that’s some —”
Before Trump could finish, Vance began his praise of Trump. “Mr. President, you are on with about 5,000 Hungarian patriots, and I think they love you even more than they love Viktor Orbán.”
Trump, who is well-known for his hubris and penchant for large crowds at rallies, managed to keep the call about the prime minister of Hungary. For a moment, anyway.
“Well, I can’t believe that,” he replied. “I can’t believe that because I love Hungary, and I love that Viktor. I’ll tell you, he’s a fantastic man. We’ve had a tremendous relationship. And he does a job.”
He went on rambling about Orbán, saying, “He’s done a fantastic job. And let me tell you, I like him a lot, but if I didn’t think he did a good job, I wouldn’t be making a call like this.”
Of course, Trump had to point out the size of the crowd, noting, “But boy, that sounds like a big crowd, and that sounds like my kind of people.” He continued, “JD must have made a very good speech to get this kind of a response, I guess,” even though Vance had yet to begin his speech.
He then humiliated the vice president further with two questions to the crowd. “How did JD do? Did he give a good speech, everybody?” said Trump before he went on about Orbán and then ended the call.
“It’s obviously a tough act to follow. But I’m going to do my best,” said Vance before hanging up the phone.
Vance: I have a special guest. Let’s hope he actually answers or this will be very embarrassing.
Phone: I’m sorry, the person you’re trying to reach has a voicemail box that has not been set up yet pic.twitter.com/tepE8jbhvT
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 7, 2026
A clip of the call spread fast online, turning into instant fodder as Vance was roasted for hitting voicemail after dialing the very president who set him up. One X user shared the clip with a caption in Trump’s signature all-caps format. “TRUMP SENT VANCE TO VOICEMAIL” with a laughing-crying emoji.
Vance got called a “needy pawn for Trump” and a “global embarrassment” amongst other unmentionable names. But the president’s dismissal of him has many convinced it’s a clear sign of how the administration feels about him.
“Wonder if it’s dawned on JD Vance that he is hated inside the White House as much as he is hated outside of it,” wrote a third person. Two others agreed, “Trump doesn’t like him. Straight to voicemail,” and “We all know Trump hates Vance.”
Other users mocked Vance sharing a GIF with that text, “New phone who dis?”
Trump forgot why Vance is calling him.. and of course since he doesn’t like the guy he didn’t answer,” exclaimed another.
One user referenced Vance’s presence in Hungary, “The Vice President is interfering in a foreign election and being made a fool of at the same time.”
The moment carried a layer of irony that critics couldn’t ignore, as Vance once again found himself publicly reaching for Trump’s approval while quietly positioning himself as a future occupant of the same office. The more he tries to prove loyalty in moments like this, the more it underscores a dynamic that seems stuck in place—one where the man hoping to one day take the seat still can’t quite secure the backing of the one currently in it.