Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would not seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2028 if Vice President JD Vance decides to run, signaling early deference to President Donald Trump’s current second-in-command as Republicans begin looking ahead to the post-Trump era, as reported by the New York Post.
Rubio made the comments in an interview with author Chris Whipple that was published Tuesday by Vanity Fair. Asked about the possibility of a future presidential bid, Rubio made clear he would step aside if Vance enters the race.
“If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio said.
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Rubio, 54, and Vance, 41, are widely viewed within Republican circles as the leading potential contenders to succeed President Trump, who is constitutionally limited to two terms under the 22nd Amendment.
Both men currently serve in senior roles within the Trump administration, with Rubio as Secretary of State and Vance as Vice President of the United States.
President Trump has previously fueled speculation about the party’s future leadership and even joked publicly about finding a way to seek another term, while acknowledging that the constitutional barrier is likely insurmountable.
Earlier this year, Trump floated the idea of Rubio and Vance running together on a future ticket, without indicating which one he would prefer to lead.
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“We have JD obviously — the vice president is great. Marco’s great. I’m not sure if anybody would run against those two. I think if they formed a group, it would be unstoppable,” Trump said while traveling in Asia in October.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles also addressed the issue in Whipple’s profile, insisting that Trump has no intention of violating the Constitution.
“He has no intention of flouting the 22nd Amendment,” Wiles said, adding that “he sure is having fun with it.”
Rubio’s comments came as part of a broader Vanity Fair profile focused on Wiles, a longtime Trump ally and fellow Florida Republican.
The profile also touched on Vice President Vance’s political evolution, with Wiles quoted as describing Vance’s shift from early Trump critic to strong supporter as “sort of political.”
Whipple, who conducted the interview, is known for his writing on presidential administrations and the role of White House chiefs of staff. He previously authored the 2017 book “The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency.”
Following the article’s publication, Wiles publicly criticized Whipple and the profile.
In a post on X Tuesday morning, she called the piece “a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history.”
The article published early this morning is a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history. Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the…
— Susie Wiles (@SusieWiles) December 16, 2025
Rubio, a former U.S. senator from Florida, once clashed publicly with Trump during the 2016 Republican primary but later aligned with him and now serves in a key Cabinet role.
His remarks represent one of the clearest signals yet from a senior Republican official about how the party’s 2028 field could take shape if Vance chooses to run.
While the next presidential election remains years away, Rubio’s statement underscores the early jockeying and loyalty positioning already underway among top Republican figures as Trump’s current term continues.
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