JD Vance Jokes After Snafu With College Football Title Trophy

Vice President JD Vance had a memorable—and slightly comical—moment involving the Ohio State national championship trophy when he accidentally dropped part of it during a celebratory event.

On Monday, President Donald Trump and Vance hosted the Buckeyes at the White House to celebrate their College Football Playoff victory. In January, Ohio State triumphed over Notre Dame 34–23, securing its first national title in ten years.

After some remarks, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day handed Trump a custom jersey and helmet. During the photo op, Vance gestured toward the championship trophy, seemingly wanting to include it in the picture. With the help of a player, he reached for it.

As Vance lifted the trophy, it detached from its base. While the player managed to save the trophy itself, the stand slipped from Vance’s grasp and hit the floor.

Vance made an attempt to reconnect the base but ultimately just held it in his hands. Coach Day noticed the mishap and stepped in briefly before returning to his spot beside Trump.

The incident quickly gained traction online, triggering waves of criticism, with much of it directed at Vance.

He leaned into the moment with humor, writing on X (formerly Twitter) that he “decided to break the trophy because I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get it.”

“I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it,” he joked.

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As speculation over the 2028 presidential race continues to swirl in GOP circles, Vance is frequently mentioned as a top contender.

According to sources cited by the New York Post, Vance’s current leadership as the Republican National Committee’s finance chair is setting him up as a leading figure to follow in Trump’s footsteps, with some insiders calling him the front-runner.

“He will establish himself as the next GOP torchbearer if he intensifies the RNC fundraising machine and the party surpasses its performance in 2026. That is, if he stays in the good graces of you know who,” one Republican source remarked.

GOP strategist Dennis Lennox went even further, asserting, “The idea that Vance is not going to be the Republican nominee in 2028 is absurd.”

Lennox also told The Post: “Holding all the primaries and caucuses and the convention in Houston will waste time and money that would otherwise be spent on defeating the Democrat nominee. The RNC might as well cancel the 2028 primaries and caucuses at this point.”

While no candidates have officially entered the 2028 race, potential Republican challengers for Vance include Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley. On the Democratic side, possible contenders could be Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, according to The Post.

Unexpected competition could also emerge from within Trump’s own circle, especially if the political landscape shifts. Still, current trends suggest that Vance is on a strong trajectory.

For now, Vance is keeping his focus on the present and proving he’s ready for future leadership.

“If I do really well for the next four years, everything else will take care of itself. . . . Now, like, yeah, in two and a half years, will that become harder? Will people be more focused on politics than on what the White House is maybe doing that particular day? Maybe,” Vance said in an interview with NBC News.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Trump followed through on a major campaign promise by signing an executive order aimed at enhancing the integrity of U.S. elections.

During the signing ceremony, Trump declared the order would “go a long way toward ending” election fraud and indicated that additional reforms from his administration would be announced soon.

“Perhaps some people think I shouldn’t be complaining because we won in a landslide, but we’re going to straighten out our elections,” Trump said. “This country is so sick because of the election, the fake elections and the bad elections, and we’re going to straighten it out one way or the other.”