Former President Donald Trump told Republican donors in a private Oval Office meeting roughly two weeks ago that "at the end of the day, we need to elect JD," referring to Vice President JD Vance, according to sources cited by The Washington Post and confirmed to Fox News Digital.

While Trump has publicly remained noncommittal about whether he will back Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his preferred successor for the 2028 presidential race, his private remarks suggest a possible lean toward Vance, who was his running mate in 2024.

Trump made a brief public reference to Vance during a donor speech in Las Vegas, praising "the war on fraud led by our great Vice President JD Vance: He's doing a great job."

Despite these indications, Trump has not officially endorsed either Vance or Rubio. Notably, Vance serves as the Republican National Committee's finance chair, controlling access to over $128 million in cash on hand as of June, according to Federal Elections Commission filings.

Trump also joked at the White House Correspondents Dinner last month that he would run for president again in 2028, wearing a "Trump 2028" hat in a troll to his critics.

Sources caution that Trump's private comments do not definitively indicate a final choice between Vance and Rubio, who holds multiple roles in the administration and has been called "the greatest secretary of state in history" by Trump.

Sources