Vice President JD Vance described Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his “best friend” in the administration, downplaying talk of any rivalry over who might lead a future Republican ticket.
Speaking on the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast, Vance said the two work closely and share credit for much of the administration’s progress.
“Marco is my best friend in the administration,” Vance said. “He and I work a lot together, and I think a lot of the good work we do comes from that cooperation.”
Asked whether speculation about 2028 created friction, Vance said he was focused on his current role. “Worrying too much about the politics makes you worse at the job you have,” he said. “I never wake up thinking, ‘How do I make myself president of the United States?”
Vance said he wakes up thinking, “How do I do a good job as vice president?” He added that he believes Rubio thinks the same way.
Vance dismissed talk of a potential Vance-Rubio ticket as “premature.” Both men served together in the Senate before joining the Trump administration. Rubio, 54, entered the Senate in 2010, while Vance, 41, was elected in 2022.
The Hill reported that the discussion followed President Donald Trump’s recent remarks aboard Air Force One, where he suggested Vance and Rubio could be his successors after his second term ends. “We have JD, the vice president, who’s great. Marco’s great,” Trump told reporters. “If they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable.”
Trump’s comments reignited speculation about 2028, along with questions about whether he was ruling out a third term. When asked directly, he replied, “Am I not ruling it out? You’ll have to tell me.”
The idea of an extended Trump era resurfaced after former White House adviser Steve Bannon told The Economist there was a “plan” to secure a third term, though he offered no details.
Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have since emphasized that a third term would be unconstitutional.
Johnson said he and Trump had discussed it. “The president knows the constrictions of the Constitution,” he told reporters. “As much as people lament that, those limits are clear.” The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, restricts presidents to two elected terms.
Rubio offered similar reflections on Vance in July when he said during an interview on Fox that Vance would be a “great nominee” for the Republican Party in 2028. He did not directly respond to a question about whether he would consider a run for the presidency while saying Vance is doing a great job, and said Vance was a “close friend.”
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