Vance Cornered on His Rivalry With Rubio for 2028 Presidential Run

JD Vance tried to play the loyal foot soldier in an appearance on Fox News—but ended up talking his way into the 2028 presidential minefield he’s been desperately trying to tiptoe around.

Pressed by host Sean Hannity on whether he’s already eyeing the Oval Office, the vice president admitted he had “thought about what that moment might look like after the midterm elections,” saying he plans to “sit down with the president” once the 2026 races are over. Hannity didn’t mince words: “Two days after the midterms, we get into a cycle, meaning 2028. Have you thought at all…? You’re in the Oval Office every day.”

Vance’s response was careful. “I try to put it out of my head and remind myself the American people elected me to do a job right now,” he said. Still, he conceded that after the midterms, “I’m going to sit down with the president of the United States and talk to him about it.”

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 17: U.S. Vice President JD Vance (L) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) look on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on October 17, 2025, in Washington, DC. President Trump, fresh off a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, is hosting President Zelensky for a bilateral lunch in the Cabinet Room in hopes of advancing a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) — Vance and Rubio are favorites to succeed Trump. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Vance used Thursday’s interview to frame the 2026 elections as existential for Donald Trump’s economic agenda, saying Democrats would “try to screw up a lot of the great things the president of the United States has done,” and insisting Republicans must “do everything that we can to win the midterms.” Only after that, he said, would he entertain a conversation about becoming president.

“If we do a good job, the politics will take care of itself. If we do a terrible job, the politics will take care of itself in the other direction.”

The comments were a sharp contrast to what he told the New York Post’s Pod Force One just weeks earlier. Asked by host Miranda Devine whether he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio—who are already being hyped as dueling heirs to Trump—felt tension over the constant comparisons, Vance brushed it off.

“Uh, first of all, no. There’s not going to be any tension. Marco is my best friend in the administration, and he and I work a lot together,” he said. He insisted he never “wakes up” thinking about becoming president. The conversation then drifted to alien life.

US President Donald Trump (R) arrives to address the nation, alongside US Vice President JD Vance (L), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (2nd R), from the White House in Washington, DC on June 21, 2025, following the announcement that the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran. President Donald Trump said June 21, 2025 the US military has carried out a "very successful attack" on three Iranian nuclear sites, including the underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo. "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. (Photo by Carlos Barria / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS BARRIA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) — Vance is believed by many to be a frontrunner to succeed Trump. CARLOS BARRIA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Hannity also brought up the potential duel on Thursday. “You know, I don’t feel like that at all. And I mean, look, if Marco eventually runs for president, then that’s… we can cross that bridge when we come to it,” Vance replied.

Trump hasn’t exactly cooled the succession drama. Though he’s constitutionally barred from running again, he’s repeatedly joked about a 2028 bid but has also mentioned Vance and Rubio as potential leaders of the next Republican ticket. “I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad,” he said last month. “But we have a lot of great people.”

Trump’s loose lips have helped to create the potential battle that Devine mentioned on Pod Force One.

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