White House Asked Vance to Pause Social Media, NYT Reports; White House Denies

White House officials, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, have reportedly urged U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance to temporarily step away from social media platforms. According to sources cited by The New York Times, Vance spends a significant amount of time on these platforms, often engaging in arguments with critics, a behavior deemed inappropriate for his high office by Wiles and other senior officials.

The report, published by The New York Times on Saturday, delves into Vance's relationship with President Donald Trump and his aspirations for a potential Republican presidential candidacy in 2028. While Trump himself is an active user of social media, notably Truth Social, he reportedly avoids direct engagement with online commenters, a contrast highlighted by the Times.

However, the White House has vehemently denied these claims. Steven Cheung, the White House Communications Director, took to social media platform X to refute the story, stating, "This is not true. We denied it in a statement to The New York Times and they refused to quote us." The New York Times' communications department, in response to Cheung's post, affirmed their commitment to their reporting.

Speculation is mounting regarding potential Republican presidential nominees for the 2028 election, with Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio frequently mentioned as frontrunners. Recent polls on hypothetical Republican primaries show Vance and Rubio performing nearly equally, indicating a close contest for the party's nomination in the post-Trump era. Rubio himself has fueled further speculation with a campaign-style video released in early May, presenting a hopeful vision for the United States.