Trump Privately Backs JD Vance for 2028 as Rubio Still Competes for GOP Heir Role
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 6
Trump Privately Backs JD Vance for 2028 as Rubio Still Competes for GOP Heir Role
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 6
Summary
Two weeks ago in the Oval Office, Trump told donors, "At the end of the day, we need to elect JD," signaling his clearest private tilt yet toward Vice President JD Vance for 2028.
That remark stops short of a formal endorsement because advisers told The Washington Post Trump still sends mixed signals on Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and is expected to delay any public choice.
Rubio remains a serious contender: Trump has called him potentially the greatest secretary of state in history, given him multiple high-profile roles and previously floated a Vance-Rubio ticket as "unstoppable."
Vance enters the succession fight with structural advantages, including an existing political team and his post as RNC finance chair overseeing a committee with more than $128 million cash on hand.
The 2026 midterms could shape the race, with a strong Republican showing bolstering Trump's power to anoint a successor and losses opening space for more challengers.