There’s a natural assumption that by virtue of being his vice president that JD Vance is the heir apparent to President Trump in 2028, but there was an interesting moment in last night’s 60 Minutes interview in which Trump downplayed that idea.
When asked about the 2028 race, Trump mentioned Vance along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio as part of the “strong bench” of potential Republican nominees.
To be clear, I’m not saying I expect Trump to offer a full-throated endorsement of Vance more than two years out from the first primaries. But when this issue came up on The Editors podcast a while back, I argued that people were overstating the probability of Vance being the nominee. While I would agree at this moment that he is the early favorite, there is too much of a wildcard about what Trump might do.
I am flagging the full exchange not because I think we should read too much into it but because it’s a good indication of where things stand right now, and a reminder that things are far from settled:
NORAH O’DONNELL: There’s been a lotta talk about 2028 and who will be at the top of the–
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well.
NORAH O’DONNELL: –Republican ticket. Can you set the record straight? You’re not gonna try and run for a third term?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, I don’t even think about it. I will tell you, a lotta people want me to run. But the difference between us and the Democrats is we really do have a strong bench. I don’t wanna use names, because it’s, you know, inappropriate. But it’s too early. We’re talking 3 and ¼ years–
NORAH O’DONNELL: But people do like when you start talking about whether you like JD Vance or Secretary Rubio–
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I do like JD Vance. I like–
NORAH O’DONNELL: Or secretary–
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: –Marco Rubio. I like– I like so many people. We have an unbelievable bench. We could run two people together. We have a great bench. So I don’t wanna start talking about elections. It’s too early. One thing I can tell you, the 2020 election was rigged.
And a lotta people say when it’s rigged you’re allowed to do it again. It was rigged. And it’s been caught. And they– and you see the same information that everybody else does. And it’s coming out now in spades. But with all of that, we have a great bench.