Vice President JD Vance would be favored to secure the Republican nomination for president in 2028, President Donald Trump said Tuesday.
Trump was at the South Court Auditorium where he signed an executive order to create a 2028 Los Angeles Olympics task force when senior Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked him if Vance was likely to become the face of the Make America Great Again movement after noting the president said he wouldn’t be running for a third term.
“You could clear the entire Republican field right now,” Doocy told Trump. “Do you agree that the heir-apparent to MAGA is JD Vance?”
In his answer, Trump noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio could team up with Vance to create a formidable ticket.
“Well, I think most likely. In all fairness, he’s the vice president, and I think Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form,” Trump replied.
“I also think we have incredible people, some of the people on the stage right here. So it’s too early, obviously, to talk about it, but certainly he’s doing a great job,” he added. “And he would be probably favored at this point.”
The president also said others in his Cabinet could possibly lead the MAGA movement.
Trump and some of his allies have previously floated the idea of him running for a third term, which is constitutionally prohibited.
Rubio ran against Trump during the 2016 primary but has since positioned himself as a Trump ally.
Last month, Rubio dismissed speculation that he could be the Republican Party’s 2028 presidential nominee. Instead, he threw support behind Vance.
“I think JD Vance would be a great nominee if he decides he wants to do that,” Rubio said during an interview with Lara Trump that aired on the Fox News Channel.
He also commended Vance’s performance as vice president during the segment on “My View with Lara Trump” and made clear he is satisfied with his current role in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
