Republicans are already eying JD Vance to succeed Donald Trump in 2028 despite the president recently stating it was “too early” to endorse the Vice President as his heir apparent.
The one-time “never Trump guy” turned MAGA stalwart was selected by Trump to be his running mate while on the campaign trail in July 2024. Eight months on, Trump’s longtime aides and allies have begun throwing their support behind Vance for a possible run at the presidency in 2028.
“I think it's inevitable at this point that Vance will be the [GOP] nominee in 2028,” Indiana Senator Jim Banks told Axios.
Vance won a straw poll of potential 2028 GOP nominees at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, with 61 percent, beating former Trump advisor Steve Bannon who placed second with 12 percent. Bannon himself has argued he wants a term-limited Trump in office again in 2028.
Jim McLaughlin, the GOP pollster who conducted the survey, said that the former Ohio Senator won due to his perception as “the closest thing to Donald Trump.”
Jack Posobiec, a conservative media star who previously called civil rights activist “unhumans,” regularly refers to Vance as “48” – the 48th U.S. president.
Since ascending to the top of the GOP ticket in July, Vance found favor with Trump’s base in the build-up to Election Day for his combative style, spending much of his time sharply criticizing Democrats and reporters.
He has also displayed truculence in the face of the president’s adversaries – including his recent dressing down of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – and has become a staunch supporter of the Trump administration’s “America First” ethos.
A day after Vance was selected as Trump’s VP pick, Donald Trump Jr, the president’s eldest son, told the New York Post that there “very high chance” he would become president in 2028.
A person close to Don Jr told Axios that he is “over the moon with JD's performance so far,” after the political scion lobbied for his father to pick Vance as his running mate.
The source added that he “feels completely vindicated for spending his political capital last summer pushing his dad to pick Vance as vice president.”
After Trump told Fox News host Brett Baier on February 10 that it was “too early” to endorse Vance for the next election, the vice president agreed that the president’s remarks were “exactly” right.
“There will be a time to focus on politics, of course – [like] the midterms,” he told the Daily Mail. “And then we’ll worry about presidential politics at the appropriate time.”
Trump has, however, repeatedly entertained the prospect of serving an unconstitutional third term as president.
Last month, he asked a crowd of supporters at a White House reception celebrating Black History Month whether he should run again, which saw him bask in chants of “four more years.”
The 22nd Amendment of the Constitution says that presidents can only serve up to two full terms.
