Trump will soon be 80; his succession plan for 2028? ‘JD and Marco as a team would be very hard to beat’ | Today’s news
Soon to turn 80 and a law barring Donald Trump from seeking another term in office in 2028, the US president continues to fuel speculation about his succession plans. He said in a podcast interview Wednesday that Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Rubio teaming up for a 2028 presidential bid would be unbeatable.
“I think JD and Marco as a team would be very hard to beat,” Trump said on a New York Post podcast that aired Wednesday. “It’s interesting, a human thing, a human equation. So I watch them together, they get along great,” he added.
Vance and Rubio are seen as contenders for the 2028 Republican nomination, and Rubio’s recent turn on the White House podium drew praise from Republicans and even some Democrats, who noted his smooth performance, which included jokes and a 1990s hip-hop reference to describe Iran’s negotiating position.
The two men have taken turns at White House briefings to defend the Trump administration against a wide range of issues, including the increasingly unpopular war in Iran.
However, Vance and Rubio played down their 2028 ambitions.
No one has formally entered the race for November 2028, but the maneuvering has begun. Democratic candidates are already jockeying for the 2028 presidential nomination, signaling an open race without a clear party standard-bearer in the race to succeed Republican President Donald Trump.
JD Vance or Marco Rubio: Who will succeed Trump?
This February, there were reports that US President Donald Trump was focusing on his legacy as his final mid-term elections approached.
The Axios report claimed that Trump may be plotting his succession in 2028, “not coincidentally” prompting advisers and confidantes to ask — who do people favor sitting atop the GOP ticket to succeed him in 2028? JD Vance or Marco Rubio?
It added that Trump favors Vance, which is why he chose him as the running mate. But Trump has especially and increasingly praised Rubio, in public and in private, for his rising profile as secretary of state and national security adviser, the report said.
“Vance-Rubio is the president’s dream ticket” for 2028 — “and to be clear, it’s Vance at the top,” a Trump aide who the president recently asked to share thoughts on the top of the ticket told Axios.
“But would Trump be happy with a Rubio-Vance ticket? Absolutely,” the source added.
(With agency input)
