Soon turning 80 and with the law barring Donald Trump from running for another term in 2028, the US President has continued to fuel speculation about his succession plans. On Wednesday, he said in a podcast interview that Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Rubio, teaming up for a 2028 presidential run, would be unbeatable.
“I would think that as a team would be very hard to beat,” Trump said in the New York Post’s podcast aired on Wednesday. “It’s interesting, human thing, the human equation. So I watch them together, they get along great,” he added.
Vance and Rubio are seen as contenders for the , and Rubio’s recent turn at the White House podium drew praise from Republicans and even some Democrats who noted his smooth performance, which included quips and a 1990s hip-hop reference to describe Iran’s negotiating position.
Both men have taken turns to take the stage at White House briefings to defend the Trump administration against a wide range of questions, including the increasingly unpopular Iran war.
Vance and Rubio, however, have downplayed their 2028 ambitions.
No one has formally entered the race for the November 2028 vote, but maneuvering has begun. Democratic contenders are already jockeying for a 2028 presidential run, signaling an open race with no clear party standard-bearer in the fight to succeed Republican President Donald Trump.
JD Vance or Marco Rubio: Who will be Trump’s successor?
In February this year, reports emerged that US President Donald Trump is focused on his legacy as his last midterm elections approach.
An Axios report claimed Trump may be planning his succession in 2028, and is “casually” springing on advisers and confidants to ask — who do people favour to sit atop the GOP ticket to succeed him in 2028?
It added that Trump favours Vance and that’s why he chose him as a running mate. But Trump has notably and increasingly praised Rubio, in public and private, for his rising profile as secretary of state and national security adviser, the report claimed.
“Vance-Rubio is the president’s dream ticket” for 2028 — “and to be clear, that’s Vance on top,” a Trump adviser, whom the president recently asked to share opinions about the top of the ticket, was quoted by Axios as saying.
“But would Trump be happy with a Rubio-Vance ticket? Absolutely,” the source added.
(With inputs from agency)
