Secretary of State Marco Rubio is privately telling his confidants that J.D. Vance is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2028 and that he will support the Vice President if he decides to run. This was reported by two sources close to the administration, according to UNN with reference to Politico.
Details
As the publication writes, Rubio's private comments are a vivid example of how some Republicans are already playing out the post-Trump succession battle, less than a year after the start of the presidential term.
"Marco has made it clear that J.D. will be the Republican nominee if he wants it," said a person close to the Secretary of State, noting that Rubio has expressed this opinion privately and publicly.
"He will do everything he can to simply support the Vice President in that effort," said a person close to Rubio, who was granted anonymity to speak with the Secretary of State.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly named Vance and Rubio as his two most likely successors, even suggesting last week that they should run on the same ticket. Both men have insisted they are good friends and there is no rivalry between them, even as speculation grows about who might inherit the MAGA mantle.
"No one expects Marco to leave the Cabinet and start throwing shade at the sitting Vice President," said a second person familiar with the dynamics and granted anonymity to discuss this extremely delicate situation. "Besides, they're friends."
A third person close to the White House, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said, "J.D. is expected to be (the nominee) and Rubio is expected to be the Vice President."
Addendum
Vance is the top favorite among those who voted for Trump in 2024, according to a new POLITICO poll conducted October 18-21. Thirty-five percent say he is the person they would most like to see run for president in 2028.
In comparison, only 2 percent named Rubio in response to the open-ended question – a format that tends to favor lawmakers with a well-known name. Sixteen percent said they either didn't know who they would like to see in the 2028 election or no one, while 28 percent said it was Trump.
While a Vance/Rubio pairing could help solidify them as Trump's chosen successors, POLITICO polls show the enormous amount of work they will have to do with voters who don't have a candidate in mind – or prefer the incumbent president for a third term.
The issue of succession is particularly relevant after Tuesday's election results, in which the Republican Party performed poorly, raising widespread concerns that without Trump himself on the ballot, Republicans would not be able to generate enough enthusiasm to win.