President Donald Trump told Republican donors in a private Oval Office meeting roughly two weeks ago, "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 been noncommittal about whether he supports Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio to succeed him in the 2028 presidential race, his private remarks suggest a leaning toward Vance, who was his running mate in 2024. Trump has praised Vance's efforts, notably hailing "the war on fraud led by our great Vice President JD Vance: He's doing a great job," during a donor speech in Las Vegas.

Despite these comments, Trump has not officially endorsed either Vance or Rubio as his preferred successor. Vance holds a significant position as the Republican National Committee's finance chair, managing over $128 million in cash on hand as of June, according to Federal Elections Commission filings.

Trump also praised Rubio as "the greatest secretary of state in history," highlighting the administration's management of global conflicts alongside Vance and War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

At the White House Correspondents Dinner last month, Trump joked about running for president again in 2028, wearing a "Trump 2028" hat in a lighthearted jab at critics.

Sources