President Trump is all in on Vice President J.D. Vance becoming his successor to the Oval Office, according to a new report.
“At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” Trump allegedly said in a closed-door meeting, The Washington Post’s Natalie Allison and Isaac Arnsdorf reported on Thursday.
The president hasn’t publicly backed any presidential candidate for 2028, and there are plenty of viable options for the Republican Party.
Exclusive: President Trump recently told donors in private that he wants to see his vice president win the 2028 presidential election — a sign that he is open to publicly backing JD Vance.
“At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” Trump said. https://t.co/dUlKT3k49G
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 6, 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has enormous support for 2028, as does Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and debate about who would be the best candidate has been a topic of discussion among Trump and his inner circle, according to the report.
According to at least one “Trumpworld” advisor, the president “has privately resolved that Vance will be the heir to the GOP,” but also warned that it’s still too early to conclude anything about a potential presidential candidate.
A White House official echoed the same sentiment, telling the Post, “anyone assuming it’s a lock is just getting way ahead of themselves, or just doesn’t know the president very well.”
In other words, it’s a giant nothingburger.
However, reaction and debate on the topic is anything but a nothingburger on X:
No. I don’t think Rubio is gonna play second fiddle. He is more than 10 yrs JDs senior I think. I think that may pose a problem.
— Undercurrent (@beggarsticks) June 29, 2025
Yes and I would vote for that.
— DrMadjack (@DrMadjack) June 29, 2025
In March, Vance led a presidential straw poll, coming in well ahead of Rubio:
JD Vance leads the CPAC 2028 straw poll with 53%, far ahead of Marco Rubio at 35%, while DeSantis and Trump Jr. trail at 2% each.pic.twitter.com/VPaS3FGJ54
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) March 29, 2026
Fast forward to May and Rubio’s support was climbing in many polls:
New – 2028 presidential poll
🔴 Rubio 45%
🔴 Vance 30%
🔴 DeSantis 11%Atlasintel #A – RV – 5/7 pic.twitter.com/vRj2HZMWzl
— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) May 12, 2026
The Republican Party is fortunate to have several competent potential contenders. For now, though, the focus is on November’s midterms.
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