Trump Reportedly Said He Will Support Vance Over Rubio in 2028
President Donald Trump has privately indicated that Vice President J.D. Vance is currently his preferred successor for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, according to a report from MS Now citing multiple people familiar with the president’s discussions.
The report states that Trump had spent months informally weighing both Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential heirs to his political movement, frequently discussing the two men with aides and donors.
According to MS Now, that dynamic has shifted in recent weeks, with Trump now expressing greater confidence in Vance as his likely successor.
“For months, Trump treated Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as something like rival contestants, polling aides and donors on the two men and floating each as a possible heir without tipping his hand,” the report states. “In recent weeks, that has stopped, according to five people familiar with the president’s running commentary on the race to succeed him in 2028.”
The report attributes Trump’s apparent preference to several factors, including Vance’s recent media appearances, public profile and work within the administration.
According to MS Now, Trump was pleased with Vance’s performance during a recent book tour, where the vice president participated in interviews across several television programs and podcasts. The report also states that Trump has been satisfied with Vance’s leadership of an anti-fraud task force and has taken notice of the vice president’s recent weight loss.
Despite the report, MS Now noted that some people close to both Vance and Rubio dispute the idea that the two men have been engaged in a significant rivalry.
According to the outlet, advisers from both camps have maintained that any perceived competition has been overstated and that Trump has historically encouraged potential successors to remain competitive without publicly committing to a preferred candidate.
The report also notes that Rubio has previously indicated he would not seek the Republican presidential nomination if Vance decides to run in 2028.
Neither the White House nor Trump’s political team has publicly announced an endorsement for the 2028 Republican nomination. Trump is constitutionally barred from seeking another term after winning the 2024 presidential election.
Vance and Rubio are among the most prominent Republicans serving in Trump’s administration. Vance was elected vice president alongside Trump in 2024 after previously serving as Ohio’s junior U.S. senator. Rubio, who represented Florida in the U.S. Senate before joining the administration, currently serves as secretary of state, per Breitbart News.
No Republican candidate has formally launched a campaign for the 2028 presidential election, and the nomination contest remains years away.
MS Now’s report relies on unnamed sources familiar with Trump’s private conversations and does not indicate that the president has made a final decision regarding whom he would support in a future Republican primary.
While speculation about the 2028 race has increased among political observers, Trump has not publicly declared a preferred successor. Both Vance and Rubio remain prominent figures within the administration, and either could emerge as a leading contender should they choose to seek the Republican nomination after Trump’s term concludes.
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