Shannon: US President Donald Trump adopted a guarded approach when pressed on whether he would endorse Vice President JD Vance for the 2028 presidential run, asserting that it was “too early”.
The exchange took place as the US president spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force One in Shannon, Ireland.
When asked whether he was ready to throw his weight behind JD Vance for 2028, Trump stated, “Well, it’s too early. I mean, it’s too early. I think he’s terrific. We’ve got so many terrific people. We have, as they call it, a very deep bench.”
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Prompted further on who might prove most competitive against Vance, Trump replied, “You know, I just think they’re all very good, and JD’s fantastic, and he did a very good job.”
Back in August, a report by The Washington Post revealed that during a private meeting with donors at the Oval Office, Trump weighed in more directly on his vice president’s potential candidacy, telling attendees, “At the end of the day, we need to elect JD.”
Citing sources familiar with the exchange, the report highlighted that while those private remarks signalled an openness to eventually backing Vance, advisers cautioned at the time that the president had yet to firmly settle on a successor as he continued weighing Vance against Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Internal discussions from that period showed Trump frequently peppering aides with questions comparing the two, even informally polling staff during a Marine One transit.
While a key adviser noted in August that Trump had privately concluded Vance will inherit the MAGA movement, multiple party insiders stressed that any assumptions remain premature, noting that the president often entertains various perspectives and that much will ultimately hinge on the outcome of upcoming congressional midterms.
These evolving dynamics have already begun to shape intraparty lines, with donors and activists aligning behind different factions.
Meanwhile, Vance has kept his timeline flexible, indicating that decisions regarding a formal run would be addressed following the midterms scheduled to be held in November.
At the same time, Rubio has avoided direct commentary on 2028 ambitions even though allies suggest Trump continues to hold a high opinion of both men, leaving open the possibility of a unified ticket even as the race for the future of the GOP takes shape.
