Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump declined to take a position on Wednesday in a debate over whether his Vice President J.D. Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio are the most likely successors in the 2028 Republican presidential race.
Vance, a former Republican senator from Ohio, said he would discuss the possibility of running with Trump after the November midterm elections.
Republican insiders also speculate that Rubio, the former Florida senator who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 but lost to Trump, may seek the presidency.
Rubio did not close the door to a 2028 run but praised Vance as a strong potential candidate.
Asked about Vance and Rubio in an interview with NBC News, Trump said he was “inclined” to support his successor, but added he didn’t want to get into the topic right now.
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Trump has often said the two men should run together on the same ticket. The 2028 election will feature an open race for both Republicans and Democrats, with the field expected to be very crowded.
In a possible nod to Rubio, the country’s top diplomat, Trump said of the two men: “I would say one is a little bit more diplomatic than the other.”
He said they were all extremely intelligent people.
“I think there’s a difference in style,” Trump said. “You know, you can see the style for yourself. But they’re both very capable. I do think: The combination of JD and Marco is going to be hard to beat, I think. But in politics you never know, right?”
Trump also appeared to again consider the possibility of seeking an unconstitutional third term in the interview. He considered the idea last year but later abandoned it.
Asked whether he thought he would still be president when the next president begins his term in January 2029, Trump said: “I don’t know. It’ll be interesting.”
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
