A closed-door meeting with campaign donors inside the Oval Office has reportedly produced the clearest signal yet of President Donald Trump‘s thinking on who should carry the Republican torch in 2028.
Citing an anonymous source, the Washington Post reported that Trump told the assembled donors, “At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” pointing to Vice President JD Vance as his preferred choice.
Fox News first brought the private gathering, held roughly two weeks ago, into public view, setting off fresh chatter across Republican political circles about the shape of the next presidential contest.
Two names dominate that conversation: Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom have built substantial followings within the party as the 2028 cycle slowly comes into focus.
Polling data currently favors Vance in most early hypothetical primary matchups, though Rubio has posted notable gains across national surveys, early-state contests, and straw polls conducted by Republican organizations.
None of this will matter formally until after the 2026 midterms wrap up, since the nominating process traditionally does not kick into gear until the following cycle begins.
The New York Post cautioned against reading too much into Trump’s donor-room remark, reporting that it does not amount to a formal declaration between the two men. Even so, the comment has drawn outsized attention simply because Trump rarely discusses succession planning this openly.
A separate appearance reinforced the moment. Speaking at a donor event in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Trump singled out Vance’s work fighting fraud, telling the crowd, “He’s doing a great job.”
Rubio brings his own political résumé to the conversation.
Before joining the administration, he represented Florida in the U.S. Senate and competed against Trump and more than a dozen other Republicans during the 2016 presidential primary.
His standing within the party has only grown since then.
Rubio finished a close second behind Vance earlier this year in the 2028 straw poll held at the Conservative Political Action Conference, a result that added fuel to talk of a potential Vance-Rubio rivalry.
Despite the polling narrative, both men have repeatedly described their relationship in friendly terms rather than competitive ones.
Rubio has gone a step further, stating he would step aside from a nomination bid entirely if Vance chooses to run.
Vance addressed the internal dynamics of the administration during a Wednesday night sit-down on “The Ingraham Angle.” “The president runs this administration: He is the very top of the administration; he makes orders,” Vance said.
He elaborated on how disagreements are handled behind closed doors, adding, “We, of course, have debates and conversations about what exactly we should do, but when the president of the United States makes a decision, we’re unified in this administration in carrying out that mission.”
Trump tapped Vance as his running mate for the 2024 election, cementing his position as a natural successor in many eyes.
Yet the president has continued heaping praise on Rubio as well, particularly for his handling of foreign policy matters tied to Venezuela, Cuba, and the Middle East.
Rubio’s portfolio within the administration extends well beyond the State Department, encompassing several senior national security responsibilities.
Trump himself remarked earlier this year that Rubio could go down as “the greatest secretary of state in history.”
Rather than choosing sides outright, Trump has floated the idea of pairing the two men on a single ticket.
He called a hypothetical Vance-Rubio combination “unstoppable,” though he declined to say which man he envisions leading it.
That ambiguity contrasts with comments Trump made last year, when he described Vance as “most likely” to succeed him, reasoning simply that “in all fairness, he’s the vice president.”
Behind the scenes, the two men appear to be preparing differently for what may come next.
Vance has quietly assembled a network of political advisers, laying potential groundwork for a national campaign, even as he has avoided discussing 2028 plans publicly.
Rubio’s schedule tells a different story.
His extensive international travel as secretary of state has left him without a comparable political operation, leaving his path to a future campaign, should he choose one, far less developed than his potential rival’s.
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