A week after the November 2022 midterm elections, then-former President Donald Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign. Over the next two years, he systematically steamrolled his primary opponents and triumphed over every imaginable political, electoral and legal obstacle to win a historic non-consecutive second term.

I was reminded of the president’s “start-early” strategy on the morning after Inauguration Day when I received a Trump campaign fundraising email e-signed by Vice President JD Vance — less than 24 hours after taking office. From my perspective, the email silently screamed, “Vance 2028!”

The newly minted vice president chronicled his “I grew up poor in the Rust Belt” biography and the “incredible journey that led me here.” Vance recounted Trump’s words when asking him to join the ticket: ‘I think we've gotta go save this country," Trump had said. "I think you're the guy who could help me in the best way. You can help me govern, you could help me win.’”

The closing paragraph read like a typical campaign solicitation: “President Trump and I are ready to keep the American Dream alive for future generations …” followed by a request for “even just $5 — to support our new administration.”

Considering the email’s post-inauguration timing, I took Vance to mean that MAGA Nation must look to the future, since Trump is a lame duck. As the natural 2028 front-runner, he is already doing the work of securing the GOP nomination and looking to extend triumphant Trumpism through Jan. 20, 2037.

That same fundraising email address — a generic one from the Republican National Committee and “Paid for by Trump National Committee” — had sent me six other Vance email blasts just this month. All the emails point to Team Trump........

© The Hill