Everyone except the marks and Trump himself know that Trump is a lame duck, every time he wakes up, a little less powerful than when he nodded off. So if MAGA is to persist, a suitable figurehead must be anointed. Otherwise, Trump's departure will lead to an ugly food fight between MAGA, Qanon, and the corporate GOP.
So I expect the Vance/Murdoch thing is just prudent planning on their parts. My question is, where was Mr. Thiel? Did he attend, or does the money guy actually trust a pipsqueak like Vance to make commitments on his behalf?