President Donald Trump has begun informally discussing with advisers who should lead the Republican Party in the 2028 presidential election, according to multiple people familiar with the conversations, Axios claimed.<\/p>\n
Trump has been posing a recurring question to confidants: whether Vice President J.D. Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be the better standard-bearer for the GOP after his presidency, the outlet said.<\/p>\n
Vance, whom Trump selected as his running mate, remains the president\u2019s favored choice, according to the sources. He also has a political infrastructure in place that could form the basis of a 2028 campaign. Rubio, by contrast, has not made similar preparations and has indicated he would support Vance if the vice president runs.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Trump has notably and increasingly praised Rubio, in public and private, for his rising profile as secretary of state and national security adviser,\u201d said Axios.<\/p>\n
In private discussions, Trump has contrasted the two men\u2019s styles, describing Rubio as more diplomatic and Vance as more combative. Several advisers cautioned against interpreting Trump\u2019s questions as diminishing his support for Vance.<\/p>\n
\u201cVance-Rubio is the president\u2019s dream ticket\u201d for 2028 \u2014 \u201cand to be clear, that\u2019s Vance on top,\u201d one Trump adviser told the outlet. \u201cBut would Trump be happy with a Rubio-Vance ticket? Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s comments come as Republican officials prepare for the 2026 midterm elections, and at a time when speculation about the party\u2019s leadership after Trump is growing. Vance is expected to play a prominent role in the midterms as finance chair of the Republican National Committee.<\/p>\n
Rubio\u2019s current Cabinet roles have kept him in the national spotlight, which aides say could boost his profile relative to Vance, who draws less media attention despite his position as vice president.<\/p>\n
Trump has not publicly endorsed a specific successor, and advisers said he continues to frame the discussions as informal.<\/p>\n
But Rubio has publicly touted Vance. \u201cIf JD Vance runs for president, he\u2019s going to be our nominee, and I\u2019ll be one of the first people to support him,\u201d Rubio told Vanity Fair last year. One source said that Rubio has conveyed to Vance his thoughts on the matter \u2013 that is, his continued support for a Vance presidency. Both are good friends from their time together in the Senate and remain so, Axios reported.<\/p>\n
Trump last year made clear that Vance is \u201cmost likely\u201d his heir apparent because, \u201cin all fairness, he\u2019s the vice president.\u201d He further noted that his preference is for Rubio to \u201cget together with JD.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others told Axios that Trump isn\u2019t keen to publicly endorse anyone yet because he wants them to remain focused on their jobs and he doesn\u2019t want to appear as those he\u2019s handing off power.<\/p>\n
\u201cRubio\u2019s twin responsibilities place him at the center of global affairs (as secretary of state) and the White House (as national security adviser),\u201d said Axios. \u201cThe vice presidency, by contrast, has no clear portfolio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Donald Trump has begun informally discussing with advisers who should lead the Republican Party in the 2028 presidential election, according to multiple people familiar with the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n