President Trump dismissed a report Thursday that he’s privately told donors Vice President JD Vance must be the 2028 Republican presidential nominee – insisting that it’s “way too early” to make an official endorsement.
Earlier Thursday, the Washington Post reported Trump told GOP benefactors during an Oval Office meeting two-weeks ago that “at the end of the day, we need to elect JD.” The president’s alleged remark was subsequently confirmed by Fox News.
When asked by a reporter if the statement attributed to him should be taken as an official endorsement of Vance, the president responded, “No.”
“I heard about it a little while ago. I think he’s great, but we’re way too early to even be thinking about that,” Trump added.
The Washington Post noted that multiple Trumpworld advisers and allies cautioned that the president “tells different things to different people.”
The advisers and allies weren’t convinced the commander-in-chief had actually settled on endorsing Vance as his successor.
Vance joked earlier this summer that Trump is drawing on his experience as host of “The Apprentice” and letting a public competition play out before deciding on who to endorse in 2028.
“I just don’t think it sounds like the president of the United States to have a televised competition for who would succeed him as his apprentice. I just think that’s not at all what you would expect the president to do,” Vance said sarcastically at a press conference in May.
Trump has often mentioned that he views either Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his successor.
The president has also suggested Vance and Rubio should run as a ticket, without saying which would seek the presidency. Trump has referred to the duo as the “dream team.”
Rubio’s 2028 stock has surged in recent months but he still polls behind Vance in every major survey. Vance frequently tells reporters he’s good friends with Rubio when asked about potentially competing against the secretary of state for the 2028 GOP nomination.
In June, Vance revealed in an interview with CBS News that he would discuss the possibility of running for president with his wife, Usha, after the midterm elections.
Vance noted that he had “no doubt that the president of the United States is going to be very supportive” regardless of his decision.
