Vance Adds Cliff Sims as National Security Adviser as 2028 Jockeying Intensifies
Updated
Updated · WIRED · May 13
Vance Adds Cliff Sims as National Security Adviser as 2028 Jockeying Intensifies
2 articles · Updated · WIRED · May 13
Summary
Cliff Sims was announced as JD Vance’s new national security adviser, part of a broader effort by the vice president to reinforce a team preparing for a bruising 2026 midterm cycle and an unsettled 2028 race.
January discussions on the reshuffle also included elevating Will Martin to deputy chief of staff, while Sims’ ties to CIA Director John Ratcliffe are expected to deepen Vance’s sway over national security policy.
A White House official later said Sims will focus on national security rather than political work, narrowing earlier expectations that he could also help shape Vance’s messaging.
Trump has been informally polling allies on a 2028 nominee, with Mar-a-Lago donors favoring Marco Rubio and a group of law enforcement officers favoring Vance, even as Vance remains the presumptive Republican heir.
Rubio’s own standing has risen after his Iran-war briefing last week revived 2028 speculation, underscoring how the administration’s top national security roles are now overlapping with early presidential maneuvering.