President Donald Trump has reportedly been asking advisers and confidants who they believe should succeed him after his second term concludes.
The question: Should Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio lead the GOP ticket in 2028?
There has been much speculation on the right about who will take up the mantle after Trump leaves office — and Vance and Rubio’s names appear to top the list among Republican voters.
So far, Trump’s private questioning reveals that Vance is seen as the early favorite among those in the president’s inner circle, according to an Axios report suggesting Trump “continues to favor” his vice president. Trump has repeatedly signaled that the 2028 nomination would be Vance’s to lose.
In August, Trump described the vice president as the “most likely” successor to the MAGA movement and someone who would “probably be favored at this point.”
One Trump adviser told Axios that a Vance-Rubio run would be “the president’s dream ticket” and stressed, “to be clear, that’s Vance on top.”
Vance-Rubio 2028 is going to be an unstoppable America First ticket pic.twitter.com/BLsADskpbd
— William Wolfe 🇺🇸 (@WilliamWolfe) February 14, 2026
Still, many in Trump’s inner circle have taken a fresh look at Rubio. His popularity has risen during his stint as secretary of state and interim national security adviser. The president has been praising Rubio in public and private more frequently.
“He is someone who can articulate MAGA principles while also gaining the trust of more traditional Republicans,” a Rubio ally told NBC News.
Vance and Rubio have downplayed a potential rivalry between them. Rubio has praised Vance as a worthy successor on multiple occasions. “I think JD Vance would be a great nominee if he decides he wants to do that,” he said in a Fox News interview in 2025.
A Marco Rubio that doesn't run for President in 2028 is a Marco Rubio that never becomes President. What can he do in the future that will make him more relevant than he is right now. Does he really "wait his turn" and step aside for the likes of JD Vance? The kind of person that…
— Justin Stapley (@JustinWStapley) February 23, 2026
Vance appears to be the clear favorite, according to his polling among Republican voters. A February 2026 Pew Research Center survey showed that 75 percent of Republican-leaning voters have a favorable opinion of the vice president with only six percent unfavorable.”
The same survey showed that about 64 percent of Republican-leaning voters view Rubio favorably, with about 19 percent having an unfavorable opinion of him.
Of course, these are not the only two possible contenders for the nomination. Party insiders and analysts regularly mention people like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and even Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr. as potential contenders. There could be other Republican politicians who emerge from the field as well.