US President Donald Trump has named Vice President J.D. Vance as his likely successor in the presidential election in November 2028.
“I think it's more likely, to be honest, it's the vice president“, Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if Vance was his most likely successor and the next leader of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.
MAGA was Trump's main political slogan in his 2016 election campaign, and has firmly established itself in the political vocabulary in the United States.
Trump said he sees Marco Rubio as Vance's running mate. The secretary of state is now also acting national security adviser to the US leader.
“I think Marco will probably work with J.D. in some form,“ Trump said. “We have some incredible people, some of whom are on this stage,“ he noted, referring to attendees at the signing ceremony of a new presidential executive order to create a White House task force to prepare for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. Attendees at the event included US Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem, as well as several senior White House officials.
“It's too early to tell, of course. But certainly Vance is doing a great job and would probably be the frontrunner at this point,“ Trump added.
The US Constitution prohibits the same person from being elected to the post of head of state more than twice. Trump has already served as president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. However, he has repeatedly stated publicly that he does not rule out the possibility of running for the presidency for a third time under certain conditions. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally, emphasized in the spring of 2025 that such a development would require changes to the country's basic law.