WASHINGTON :Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday chose not to take a side in the ongoing speculation over whether his vice president, JD Vance, or his former secretary of state, Marco Rubio, might be his preferred successor in the 2028 Republican presidential race.
Vance, the former Republican senator from Ohio, has indicated he plans to discuss a potential run with Trump after the November midterm elections. Meanwhile, Republican insiders suggest that Rubio, the former Florida senator who sought the GOP nomination in 2016 but lost to Trump, could also enter the race. Rubio has not ruled out a 2028 campaign and has spoken positively about Vance as a strong contender.
During an interview with NBC News, Trump said he might endorse a successor in the future but added that he was not ready to make a choice now.
“We have three years to go. I don’t want to, you know… I have two people doing an excellent job. I don’t want to get into an argument — not a fight, because it wouldn’t be a fight. But JD is fantastic, and Marco is fantastic,” Trump said.
Trump has previously suggested that the two could run together on the same ticket. He described the 2028 election as likely to be highly competitive, with both Republican and Democratic fields expected to be crowded.
In what appeared to be a subtle nod to Rubio, Trump noted: “I would say one is slightly more diplomatic than the other.” He also called both men highly intelligent.
“There’s a difference in style, you can see that yourself. But both are very capable. And I do think this: the combination of JD and Marco would be extremely difficult to beat. But politics is unpredictable,” Trump added.
The former president also hinted once more at the controversial idea of pursuing a third term, which he has floated before and later abandoned. When asked if he could still be president when the next term begins in January 2029, Trump replied, “I don’t know. It would be interesting.”