The 2028 presidential election is still a couple of years away, but you would never know it if you turned on cable news for five minutes. The media has already decided that Vice President JD Vance needs to declare his intentions immediately, as if the country is on the brink of collapse because he has not filed paperwork yet.
During a recent sit down with Fox News, Vance was asked the question that reporters seem unable to resist: would he want President Trump to endorse him as the Republican nominee in 2028? It is the kind of question designed to stir up drama, not inform the public. Vance did not take the bait.
Instead, he responded like an adult with an actual job. He pointed out that President Trump is focused on the job at hand, and that everyone in the administration should be focused on that as well. In other words, there is governing to do. There are policies to implement. There is an economy to strengthen and borders to secure. Campaign season can wait.
Vance also addressed the growing media narrative that he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are somehow locked in a shadow boxing match for the future of the Republican Party. The press loves nothing more than a rivalry. If there is not one, they will invent it. According to Vance, that is exactly what is happening. He made clear that the administration is focused on delivering results, not playing political fantasy football for 2028.
The speculation ramped up after Bloomberg published an article highlighting comments from President Trump. When asked whether he would support Vance or Rubio in 2028, President Trump said, “It’s something I don’t have to worry about now. I’ve got three years to go.” That sounds like a man who understands the concept of priorities.
He also added, “JD is fantastic. And Marco — they’re both fantastic,” and noted, “I think Marco did a great job in Munich.” That is called praising your team. It is not exactly a declaration of civil war inside the GOP.
President Trump has been characteristically coy about who should lead the Republican ticket after his second term. He has at times described Vance as “most likely” the heir apparent to the Make America Great Again movement, while also saying Rubio would make a great nominee. That is not chaos. That is a president acknowledging he has talented people around him.
Rubio, 54, earned positive reviews at the Munich Security Conference, where he emphasized shared heritage with Europe while maintaining the administration’s stance on immigration and climate skepticism. Vance, 41, took a firmer tone at the same conference a year earlier, leaning into the anti elite energy that helped fuel President Trump’s political rise. Different styles, same team.
Of course, the media prefers to portray it as a brewing clash of titans. It makes for better headlines than “Administration Officials Focused on Doing Their Jobs.” President Trump has even teased the supposed rivalry at times, suggesting one, then the other, might be best positioned to carry the torch. That is classic Trump, keeping people guessing and the press chasing its own tail.
For now, Vance seems content to do what he was elected to do, serve as vice president and support President Trump’s agenda. The idea that he must immediately declare his 2028 ambitions is a media obsession, not a national emergency. There will be plenty of time for primary debates and campaign ads. Until then, governing is a full time job.
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