Trump’s Vance Jokes Stoke 2028 GOP Succession Fight as Rubio Emerges as 35% Rival
Updated
Updated · ABC News · Jun 28
Trump’s Vance Jokes Stoke 2028 GOP Succession Fight as Rubio Emerges as 35% Rival
3 articles · Updated · ABC News · Jun 28
Summary
Trump’s recent mockery of JD Vance over Iran diplomacy has sharpened 2028 Republican succession talk, casting the vice-president’s assignment as both a test of loyalty and a political risk.
Vance reportedly opposed the Iran war, yet Trump sent him to Switzerland to pursue a longer-term deal and joked he would claim success or blame Vance if talks failed.
Rubio has gained ground in the same conversation because Trump has repeatedly praised his diplomatic work and publicly asked crowds whether Vance or Rubio should lead the next ticket.
An Emerson College poll cited in related reporting put Vance at 36% and Rubio at 35%, underscoring how closely the two are tracking as Trump withholds any endorsement.
Trump’s sway remains the decisive backdrop: Republican strategists say his hand-picked primary candidates keep winning, making his eventual 2028 blessing potentially determinative for the GOP nominee.