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Donald Trump is "just about out of time" to replace Senator JD Vance as his running mate, a legal analyst has said.
Joyce Vance was reacting to speculation that Trump may drop the Ohio senator because his controversial comments are not playing well with swing voters.
On July 31, Trump dismissed suggestions that JD Vance was a bad choice, telling the National Association of Black Journalists that vice presidential picks have "virtually no impact" on elections.
Newsweek emailed Trump and JD Vance's campaign team for comment on Tuesday.
Joyce Vance, a former federal prosecutor, said that, under election rules, the Republican Party would have to reconvene its convention to remove JD Vance or bring three delegates together from each state.
Those delegates could then vote for their states in removing JD Vance, she said.
She was speaking to attorney Preet Bharara on the Stay Tuned With Preet podcast on Monday.
Bharara said it was "exceedingly unlikely, but possible" that Trump could remove JD Vance.
Joyce Vance agreed and said it was now becoming "far less likely."
She said that ballots "do not create themselves" and that there is now very limited time to change candidates before final ballots have to be completed.
"Trump is just about out of time to make a change," she said.
Vance said there is precedent for vice presidential nominees being removed from the ballot.
She cited the case of Thomas Eagleton, who was the Democratic Party vice presidential nomination in 1972.
He was replaced after 18 days when it emerged that he had been hospitalized three times for depression and had undergone electroshock treatment.
Bharara commented that it was "sad in its own right" that someone would be removed from the ballot for seeking treatment for depression.
There have been calls within the Republican Party to replace JD Vance
On August 2, Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted 10 days as Trump's White House communications director before being fired in July 2017, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that JD Vance should go.
"Trump has to replace Vance to get back in the race," wrote Scaramucci, who is now a frequent critic of the former president.
JD Vance has faced continued criticism since he accepted the role of Trump's running mate, after his previous comments about abortion and women without children quickly resurfaced. He also has historically low approval ratings for a vice presidential nominee.
There have also been suggestions that the Ohio senator does not broaden the appeal of the GOP's 2024 ticket and may damage Trump's chances of winning November's race.
The former president and his team have frequently denied suggestions that he regrets choosing JD Vance as his running mate, saying he is "thrilled" with his pick.
Christopher Devine, an associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton and author of Do Running Mates Matter?: The Influence of Vice Presidential Candidates in Presidential Elections, previously told Newsweek that it would be a mistake for Trump to replace JD Vance as his vice presidential choice.
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About the writer
Sean O'Driscoll is a Newsweek Senior Crime and Courts Reporter based in Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. law. ... Read more