This is an adapted excerpt from the Oct. 5 episode of “The Katie Phang Show.”

In some ways, vice presidents are like understudies; you may never need them to step into the breach but they’re there just in case something goes wrong. 

And as we inch closer to November’s election, I want you to consider this: If elected, Donald Trump — who is currently 78 years old, regularly frequents McDonald’s, and loves his Diet Cokes — would end his second term as the oldest person ever to serve as president of the United States. On the final day of his presidency in January 2029, Trump would be 82 years, seven months and six days old.

The former president’s rambling, meandering speeches on the campaign trail have led some mental health experts to go on the record, raising concerns about his potential cognitive decline. Despite these concerns, Trump refuses to release even the most basic information about his health.  

So what happens if Trump wins in November and then, days, weeks, months or years into his presidency, dies or becomes incapacitated and can no longer serve? Well, according to Section 1 of the 25th Amendment, in that event, the vice president would become the president automatically. 

To state it plainly: Sen. JD Vance is a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States. The same Vance who, right now, has poll numbers labeling him the least popular vice-presidential candidate of the 21st century — unsurprising given his many extremist views on everything from child care to the truth of who won the 2020 election. I mean, not admitting your running mate lost the last election is a huge red flag that you have an issue with the truth.

During last week’s vice-presidential debate, Vance got caught in another lie. The senator claimed he never supported a national abortion ban. However, in 2022 while he was running for the Senate, Vance said on a podcast he “certainly would like abortion to be illegal nationally.”

Then there’s his extremist stances. Also during that 2022 run for the Senate, Vance delivered a 30-minute speech titled “The Universities are the Enemy” at the National Conservatism Conference.

“I think if any of us want to do the things that we want to do for our country and for the people who live in it, we have to honestly and aggressively attack the universities in this country,” the then-candidate told the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, the universities do not pursue knowledge and truth, they pursue deceit and lies, and it’s time to be honest about that fact.”

Now, in my opinion, the best way to pursue a good and fulfilling life is through education, but it seems Yale-educated Vance wants to overhaul the education system in his image. Under Project 2025, a Trump-Vance administration could eliminate the Department of Education, privatize K-12, and dismantle the current collegiate system. 

He’s a threat to everything Americans hold dear: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And if something were to happen to Trump, the big job would go to Vance: the guy who refuses to acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 election, promotes anti-immigrant hate rhetoric, and supports a national abortion ban.

And let’s be clear, 40-year-old Vance is fully aware that Trump is 78 years old. You’re kidding yourself if you think he didn’t consider Trump’s physical and mental health issues when contemplating his career advancement and upward mobility prospects as the Republican VP nominee. 

So, before you cast your ballot in this year’s election, you should remember this: Any vote for Donald Trump is a vote for a potential automatic JD Vance presidency. Vote accordingly.