Vance or Rubio? Trump Muses on Successor as the ‘Kids’ Fill Bigger Roles.
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- President Trump has been informally polling advisers about their preference between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential 2028 presidential candidates, even musing about them running together on the same ticket.
- Trump’s advisers suggest these musings are casual and that the 2028 election is not a current priority for the president.
- Marco Rubio recently gained visibility by addressing the Iran war in the White House briefing room, meeting with Pope Leo XIV and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and preparing for a trip to China with President Trump.
- JD Vance has been actively campaigning for House Republicans, notably supporting Representative Zach Nunn in Iowa by criticizing Democratic policies and highlighting his own political shift from a union Democrat family.
- Both Rubio and Vance are increasing their profiles within the Republican Party as the midterm elections approach, drawing attention as rising figures among Trump’s preferred “kids.”
