Some of President Donald Trump's closest White House advisers are privately pushing Secretary of State Marco Rubio, not Vice President J.D. Vance, as the man who should carry the Republican banner in 2028, the Daily Beast reported, citing a Politico account of insider conversations that have intensified in recent weeks.
The behind-the-scenes maneuvering amounts to an early, informal audition season inside Trump's orbit, one in which the sitting vice president is not the presumptive front-runner his title might suggest. And the president himself has done little to settle the question.
A senior White House official told Politico that Rubio is "loyal, wicked smart, articulate and very seasoned", and, in a word, "a winner." A GOP operative close to the White House texted the outlet with a more granular assessment:
"He marries normalcy, common sense, with a bit of trump/MAGA twang very well. He's able to rationalize to those who may be angry. He's at least the best at making it make sense. He's just a very smooth spox for POTUS."
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast's request for comment.
The former Florida senator's stock has risen sharply since he traded the Senate for Foggy Bottom. Sean Spicer, who served as White House press secretary during Trump's first term, told Politico that Rubio's dual role as top diplomat and MAGA communicator has given him an edge few other Cabinet members enjoy.
"Because of this dual role he's had a lot of access and face time with the president, and with MAGA. That has been huge for him."
Rubio accompanied Trump to a UFC fight in Miami, the kind of visible, casual proximity that signals trust in Trump's circle. And his willingness to defend the administration's foreign-policy moves, including operations tied to Venezuela and Iran, has earned praise from allies who say he can translate the president's agenda into language that reassures skeptics.
The Washington Examiner reported that Rubio has emerged as one of the most visible figures in the administration's response to the Iran conflict, while Vance remained in Washington during the strikes. "I think what we're seeing is Rubio getting all the oxygen," one GOP strategist told the Examiner. "It's giving him a platform to audition for president without saying he's running."
Republican strategist Matthew Bartlett made the same point more bluntly: "It's interesting that the Vance alternative talk has intensified due to the war, yet the most likely option is the secretary of state, who's arguably played a larger role in it than the vice president."
That dynamic, Rubio in the spotlight, Vance in the background, has not gone unnoticed. Trump earlier bypassed Vance for Iran-related negotiations, sending other envoys instead, a move that fueled questions about the vice president's standing on the administration's most consequential foreign-policy file.
The president has not endorsed anyone for 2028, and appears to enjoy keeping the question unresolved. Asked on Fox News who the next president will be, Trump offered a characteristically noncommittal answer:
"Well, I would say that it will be a Republican. I really believe that, and I think it will be a good one."
In a separate 60 Minutes interview covered by National Review, Trump was even more explicit about refusing to crown an heir. "I do like JD Vance. I like Marco Rubio. I like so many people. We have an unbelievable bench," Trump said, grouping Vance with Rubio as part of a broader roster rather than singling out his vice president.
"We could run two people together. We have a great bench," Trump added, language that treats the nomination as a genuinely open contest.
Trump has reportedly gone further in private. At Mar-a-Lago, he asked guests which of two men he should back, a detail that underscores how seriously the president treats the question and how little he has settled it. That informal polling of donors and allies has already drawn attention for what it reveals about the shifting balance of power inside Trump's circle.
A YouGov survey conducted earlier this month found that 63 percent of Republican voters support a Vance presidential run, compared with 42 percent for Rubio. On raw name recognition and base loyalty, the vice president still holds a clear lead.
But a CPAC straw poll last month told a different story. Rubio's support spiked, while Vance's numbers dropped compared with the MAGA convention the previous year. Straw polls are imprecise instruments, but the directional trend, Rubio up, Vance down, aligns with the insider chatter.
Some Republican donors and allies have reportedly begun exploring groundwork for a possible Rubio presidential bid after the 2026 midterms, as his profile continues to rise inside the administration.
Rubio himself has said he would not challenge Vance for the nomination if the vice president runs. That pledge may or may not survive contact with a real campaign, but it signals awareness of the delicate politics involved. Vance, for his part, has been pushing back on anonymous sourcing about his role in internal policy debates, suggesting he recognizes the threat that whisper campaigns pose to his standing.
The case for Rubio, as his backers frame it, rests on a specific theory: he is the candidate best positioned to hold Trump's coalition together after Trump leaves office. That coalition, working-class voters, populist nationalists, traditional Republicans, and a growing share of Hispanic men, is broad and sometimes contradictory. It needs a translator, not just a torchbearer.
Rubio's journey from 2016 primary rival to Trump's top diplomat gives him a particular credibility with both wings of the party. He endured Trump's attacks during the primary, rebuilt the relationship, and has since undergone what observers describe as a "MAGA makeover." The transformation has won over even some of the movement's most vocal figures.
MAGA activist Laura Loomer wrote on X earlier this year: "How could someone not support Marco Rubio? He is going to be President someday. Mark my words." When a figure known for sharp ideological policing vouches for a former establishment senator, it tells you something about how thoroughly Rubio has integrated himself into the movement's power structure.
Meanwhile, Rubio's expanding portfolio, from diplomacy to high-profile courtroom testimony on matters of national security, keeps him in the public eye in ways that reinforce his image as a serious operator, not just a cable-news surrogate.
None of this means Vance is out. Vice presidents who want the nomination usually get it, or at least get a serious shot. Vance retains strong favorability with the Republican base, and his YouGov numbers reflect genuine grassroots support.
But the vice presidency is a notoriously difficult perch from which to build an independent political identity. When the secretary of state is the one standing next to the president at a UFC fight, and the one fielding questions about war and peace on every cable network, the vice president's visibility shrinks, even if his formal authority does not.
The 2028 race is still years away. Rubio may never run. Vance may consolidate support. Trump may change his mind six times before breakfast. But the early jockeying matters because it reveals who has the president's ear, who has the party's energy, and who is building the relationships that translate into endorsements and fundraising when the starting gun finally fires.
In Republican politics, proximity to Trump is the coin of the realm. Right now, Marco Rubio is spending it wisely, and some of the people closest to the president want the rest of the party to notice.