As President Donald Trump tiptoed away this week from the idea that he might try to win a third term, he opened the door to a fresh round of intrigue: Whom does he see as his successor?
In practically the same breath in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Trump suggested national security adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance — in that order — as potential candidates.
“You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who’s fantastic,” Trump replied when Kristen Welker asked him what gives him confidence that his MAGA movement will continue once he’s out of office. “You look at — I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now just sitting here.”
That he mentioned Rubio at all struck a senior White House aide as notable, given that it was the first time Trump had so publicly identified him as a favorable prospect. And the development, while not exactly surprising to anyone aware of Rubio’s long-held White House ambitions, quickly injected the elements of competition and rivalry that Trump has long enjoyed fostering among those who work for him.
Expectations of such a clash are premature and overblown, those close to both Rubio and Vance told NBC News. They are ideological allies and have become good friends.
“They’ve got a really good personal and professional relationship, so if they’re both running, I have no doubt there will be a [conversation] about it beforehand,” said a person familiar with their relationship, who, like others interviewed for this article, was granted anonymity to offer candid insights about a politically sensitive topic.
Three people in Rubio’s orbit who spoke with NBC News, cognizant of Vance’s higher rank in the line of succession and of polling that reinforces his higher standing among Republican voters, see Vance as having right of first refusal on the Republican nomination in 2028.
Among Vance’s allies, too, there’s no ill will. A person close to Vance emphasized that the two remain extremely close and didn’t see a scenario in which Vance and Rubio would run against each other for president in 2028 at this point.
But Rubio is, without question, ascending in Trump world. His rise was punctuated last week when Trump appointed him as his interim national security adviser. Rubio is the first person to hold both roles at the same time since Henry Kissinger in the mid-1970s.
While internally there has long been an overwhelming sentiment that Vance will be the first in line to carry on Trump’s political legacy, even some White House advisers are starting to see him and Rubio on an equal playing field in Trump’s estimation.
“President Trump sees them as both very loyal and very talented, I think that’s very fair to say,” a senior Trump adviser said.
The expanded portfolio is a signal that Rubio, according to four sources who have long advised him, is building a substantial footing that can position him well as the heir apparent to Trump — if Vance stumbles over the next three years.
“You would still have to give the advantage to Vance because he is the sitting vice president,” a Rubio ally said of the hypothetical 2028 showdown. “But everyone in Rubio’s orbit is feeling really good about how things are playing out. If for any reason Vance isn’t the guy or the electorate is seeking an alternative, there is no question that Rubio is in the pole position for that.”
“He is a guy who can speak MAGA but can also gather the confidence of your more traditional Republican,” this person added.
Another longtime Rubio ally allowed that “Vance is the guy for now, but as we have seen, for now isn’t forever.”
“There is a lot of time,” this person added. “Important to remember it’s early, but Rubio wears many hats now. That’s not by mistake.”
In the meantime, neither Rubio nor Vance is shy about asserting his strengths in meetings with Trump. Just days before the “Meet the Press” shoutouts, Rubio sat next to Trump at an hourslong Cabinet meeting wearing a matching blue suit and red tie. At one point, Rubio said he had uncovered that a State Department office built a dossier on someone else seated at the table, identifying the person “as purveyors of disinformation,” which he said would soon be turned over.
“Was it me or Elon?” Vance interrupted, referring to Trump adviser Elon Musk and drawing laughs with what amounted to a flex of his “deep state” enmity.
Trump’s indulgence in succession talk barely 100 days into his second administration follows his indulgence of scenarios in which he would circumvent the Constitution to serve a third term. The latter has had a freezing effect on the GOP’s 2028 field, with no prospective candidate daring to get too far ahead of him.
But Trump backed away from the third-term talk in the “Meet the Press” interview, suggesting he would…
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