U.S. President Donald Trump has recently had doubts about whether his vice president, JD Vance, can be the next president, The New York Times reported over the weekend.
Allies of both men told the newspaper that Vance still has the best odds of becoming Trump’s successor, but jabs from Trump and a growing closeness between the president and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also mentioned as a leading contender for the role, make his selection far from certain.
Because U.S. presidents can serve only two terms, Trump himself will not be able to run again in the next election, in 2028, meaning Republicans are expected to hold a competitive primary for the party’s presidential nomination. An outgoing president’s vice president often has a built-in advantage in such primaries, because after four or eight years in office he is already known to the public and seen as experienced. That puts Vance high on the list of names. Also helping him is the fact that he remains fairly popular among the MAGA camp, Trump’s loyal base of supporters.
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Vice President JD Vance. Loyal and well-liked by MAGA, but Trump's word can make the difference nce
(Photo: Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Still, aside from Trump’s vice president, other prominent Republicans are already being mentioned as possible presidential primary contenders, led by Rubio. Like Vance, Rubio has received praise from Trump during the current term, and Trump has also mentioned him as someone who could be suited to replace him in 2028. The question of whom Trump supports, given that he still enjoys the backing and affection of an overwhelming majority of Republicans, could therefore be decisive in such a race.
According to The New York Times report, based on interviews with more than a dozen people the paper said are familiar with the dynamic between Trump and Vance, the president regularly examines polls on whether voters prefer Vance or Rubio. When Trump reads those polls, according to the report, he often compares Vance’s performance to his own achievements, and has told several allies that Vance has never won a difficult race without his help. Trump credits himself with Vance’s victory in the close race for Ohio’s Senate seat, after he endorsed him.
Vance's embarrassing trophy drop:
The Times also noted that Trump has repeatedly mentioned Vance’s initial opposition to launching the war against Iran, and has also questioned his own decision to send a delegation led by Vance to negotiations with Iran in Pakistan, talks that failed to bring the war to an end.
Trump is also critically examining Vance’s appearance, a trait the president considers very important, according to the newspaper. In that context, he has repeatedly mentioned the moment when Vance dropped the NCAA football championship trophy on the White House lawn, and has teased him about issues such as the shoes he wears or his tendency to interrupt conversations.
The newspaper reported that, because of Vance’s fondness for social media clashes, Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles recently advised him to take a break from social media, as other West Wing officials have done, because the fights were beneath the dignity of his office. Vance appears to have adopted the recommendation. He is also gaining points with Trump for his loyalty, expressed in his abandonment of his opposition to the Iran war and his attacks on various Trump critics, including even Pope Leo XIV.
The New York Times recalled that last summer Trump said Vance was the “most likely” candidate to be his political heir. “In all fairness, he’s the vice president,” Trump told reporters in August.
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Trump has been spending more time with Marco Rubio
(Photo: Johan NilssonI/ TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP)
Since then, however, Trump also has praised Rubio and told people close to him how impressed he is with the work Rubio is doing. According to the newspaper’s sources, Rubio spends more time with Trump than Vance does and travels with him more often on Air Force One, especially since Vance, as vice president, uses the plane assigned to the vice president
At a recent dinner in the Rose Garden, Trump asked his guests who would be the better choice. “Who likes JD Vance?” he asked. “Who likes Marco Rubio?” he added, while making clear that he was not currently endorsing either of them.