US President Donald Trump has proposed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as an “ideal team” for the 2028 US presidential election, though he has stopped short of endorsing either man as his chosen successor.
Speaking on May 11 at a dinner with law enforcement officers held to mark National Police Week, Trump asked the audience: “Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?” He went on to suggest that the pairing “sounds like a good ticket”.
“JD is perfect, that’s been a perfect formula,” the President added at a subsequent press conference. “I think it sounds like a candidate for the presidency and a candidate for the vice presidency.”
Trump, though, made clear that his positive remarks did “not mean” the two men had his backing “under any circumstances”.
The President has so far kept allies and opponents guessing over who he might support in the next race for the White House. He has not indicated whether he would back Vance over Rubio, or whether he would urge the two men to run on the same ticket. Neither figure has publicly declared an intention to seek the Republican nomination.
Rubio launched his own bid for the presidency in 2016 but withdrew after losing the Republican primaries to Trump. In December 2025, the Secretary of State told Vanity Fair he would be “one of the first” to back Vance should the Vice President eventually run for the White House.
Vance, for his part, has dismissed reports of a rift between the two senior figures of the Trump Administration. Speaking to Fox News in February 2026, he said: “I think it’s interesting that the media want to create this conflict, where there is no conflict.”
“Marco is my closest friend in the Administration. I think he’s doing a great job for the American people,” Vance said in the same interview. He added that “everyone has to keep doing a good job for the American people, from the President down”.
The remarks come amid persistent speculation in Washington over the future direction of the Republican Party. The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution bars Trump from running for a third term in 2028.
Vance, a former senator from Ohio, was named as Trump’s running mate during the 2024 campaign. He has since emerged as one of the most prominent figures within the Republican Party.
Rubio, a former senator from Florida, was confirmed as Secretary of State at the start of Trump’s second term. He has been one of the most visible faces of the Administration’s foreign policy agenda.
Several Republican governors and senators are reported to be weighing potential bids for the 2028 nomination, although none has yet formally declared a campaign. Trump’s eventual endorsement is widely expected to weigh heavily on the outcome of the Republican primaries.
