Trump holds off on endorsing Vance

Trump declines to endorse JD Vance for 2028 presidential election, saying decision is premature.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump declined Tuesday to endorse Vice President JD Vance as his successor in the 2028 presidential election, saying the two had never discussed the possibility and that his administration was focused on the upcoming midterm elections.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office with Vance standing nearby, Trump praised the vice president but avoided committing to supporting him for the Republican presidential nomination.

“He’s a very talented person and he’s a very good person,” Trump said, adding that the question of Vance’s presidential ambitions had not come up in their private conversations.

Vance confirmed that neither had raised the subject with the other.

“We have to get through the midterms. We’ll see how it goes,” Trump said, referring to the November 3 congressional elections.

The exchange came one day after Vance expressed confidence that Trump would support him if he decided to seek the Republican nomination in 2028.

In an interview Monday with journalist Mark Halperin on the 2Way platform, Vance said he had not decided whether to run but believed he could count on Trump’s backing.

“I think if I run, the president will endorse me,” Vance said.

When Halperin pressed him on whether Trump would announce his endorsement immediately after Vance entered the race, the vice president acknowledged that he had received no such assurance.

“I don’t know, man, I haven’t talked to him about it,” Vance replied.

Vance also suggested that Trump might prefer to allow Republican candidates to compete in the primaries before choosing whom to support.

He argued that the president’s endorsement carries extraordinary influence among Republican voters, potentially determining the outcome of the nomination contest.

Trump has previously identified Vance as his most likely successor, although he has also praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, another potential contender for the 2028 Republican nomination.

Neither Vance nor Rubio has formally announced a presidential campaign.

Vance, who was elected vice president alongside Trump in 2024, has repeatedly indicated that he intends to postpone any decision about seeking the presidency until after the midterm elections.

During a CBS News town hall in Michigan over the weekend, he acknowledged that he might ultimately decide against running.

“Of course there’s a chance,” Vance said when asked whether he could stay out of the race.

The vice president explained that his decision would involve discussions with his wife, Usha, and consideration of their four young children. He also acknowledged that his wife, while supportive of public service, has never particularly enjoyed political life.

Vance’s political career benefited significantly from Trump’s support when he ran for the US Senate in Ohio in 2022. Trump’s endorsement helped him win a competitive Republican primary before securing the seat in the general election.

The vice president is now widely considered a leading potential contender to inherit Trump’s political coalition when the president completes his second term.

The RealClearPolitics rolling average of polls currently gives Vance a 15.3-point lead in the 2028 Republican primaries, topping Secretary of State Marco Rubio 39.1% to 23.8%, with Donald Trump Jr. in a distant third at 11.3%.