The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has once again sparked political speculation within the Republican Party by repeatedly posing a question to his advisers that is beginning to emerge as crucial for 2028.
“Should it be Marco Rubio or JD Vance who leads the Republican ticket after his term?” is the question that, according to Axios, Trump is increasingly posing to his advisors in the Oval Office.
In recent days, Trump has consistently praised the current Secretary of State, highlighting his performance in international settings such as the Munich Security Conference, where he was applauded by other leaders and international analysts.
This growing prominence has fueled rumors that Rubio could become one of the main contenders for the presidency in 2028, even if Trump avoids making direct commitments to any candidate.
During the presentation of the Peace Board, a new organization promoted by the White House, Trump expressed praise for Rubio—jokingly saying he was "close" to firing him—in a tone that combined humor and admiration, which did not go unnoticed by political analysts and the international press.
However, despite these compliments, Trump has been reluctant to openly declare his support for Rubio as his natural successor. In an exchange with the press aboard Air Force One, the president made it clear that he is not yet ready to designate a definitive candidate, although he emphasized that both Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are "fantastic" figures within the party.
This strategic ambiguity has fueled rumors that Trump is trying to stimulate an internal balance between the party sectors that support each candidate: Rubio, with his international profile and his base among conservative and Cuban-American voters, and Vance, viewed by many as the natural heir due to his role as vice president.
Rubio, for his part, has not ruled out the possibility of aspiring to the presidency in the future and has acknowledged at times that a role in global leadership—such as the one he has played in foreign policy—could enhance his profile for a candidacy of his own.
For now, in Trumpism, a scenario seems to be consolidating in which both names—Rubio and Vance—will remain central in the conversation about the next Republican era, with Donald Trump as the main arbiter of that internal debate that will shape the direction of the American right in the coming years.
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