U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday called Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio a "dream team" ahead of the 2028 presidential election, polling attendees at a White House event on who they liked more without expressing an endorsement, UNN reports citing The Hill.
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"Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio? Okay. Sounds like a good ticket. JD is perfect... It was a perfect ticket," Trump said during a Rose Garden dinner with law enforcement officials in honor of National Police Week.
"By the way, I really think that's a dream team. But those are minor details. That doesn't mean I'm endorsing you under any circumstances. But you know... I think that sounds like a presidential candidate and a vice presidential candidate," he added.
Political strategists and observers have repeatedly wondered whether Trump would endorse Vance over Rubio, or encourage them to run together on the same ticket.
Rubio ran for president back in 2016 but suspended his campaign after losing the primary to Trump.
He returned to the Senate, where he served until joining the second Trump administration.
Vance was in the middle of his first term in the upper house of Congress before Trump invited him to join his presidential ticket.
Vance takes on Trump's 'poisoned chalice' of foreign policy missions - FT14.04.26, 10:26
Their intentions for 2028 have repeatedly become a question, but neither has declared an intention to launch a presidential campaign. Instead, they have said their goal is to focus on the work of the current administration.
However, in December, Rubio told Vanity Fair that he would be "one of the first to support" Vance if the vice president eventually ran for the White House.
The U.S. President, however, continues to gauge public reaction to both high-ranking administration officials.
"It's very characteristic of Trump to constantly test how people feel about Marco Rubio compared to Vance. It's in the president's DNA to understand where donors, politicians, and even media representatives stand," Republican strategist Brian Seitchik previously stated.
"The president is always evaluating and comparing, and he also understands perfectly well that by their nature, such questions breed competition, which, as anyone who watched 'The Apprentice' knows, he values," said Seitchik, who worked on Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns.
Trump has spoken highly of Vance and Rubio, who, in addition to other administration roles, has been tasked with duties as a national security advisor.
In March, the U.S. President told reporters: "Marco Rubio is doing a great job. I think he will go down in history as the greatest Secretary of State. He has been successful no matter where he was."
White House insiders see Rubio on the rise as a potential 2028 pick - Politico25.04.26, 16:15