The one question on the minds of GOP and MAGA voters beyond this year’s midterms is who will succeed President Donald Trump and, hopefully, continue his ‘America First’ agenda.
That question seems to have been answered, and to most, it won’t be a surprise.
“This is JD Vance’s summer: The vice president penned a bestselling book, helped broker a tentative peace deal with Iran, embarked on a media blitz and — most importantly for him — impressed the man in the Oval Office,” Axios reported earlier this week.
The vice president’s recent television appearances, polling performance and high-profile role in foreign policy have reinforced his position as the leading figure in the Republican Party to succeed Trump, strengthening speculation that he could be the party’s frontrunner for the 2028 presidential nomination should he choose to run.
“JD is earning it, and Trump sees it,” a senior Trump adviser told Axios.
The adviser added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was also seen as a potential heir, “wasn’t planning to run anyway, and he’d be even less likely to do so now.”
Rubio has said before that should Vance make the decision to run, he would decline to do so.
For his part, Vance has said he and Rubio are great friends, fanning speculation that the two of them could become running mates.
For months, Trump has publicly compared Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential Republican standard-bearers for 2028, at times asking advisers which of the two they believed would be the stronger presidential nominee, Axios reported.
More recently, however, that discussion has largely subsided as Vance has emerged as the clear early favorite among many Republicans viewed as potential successors to Trump, the outlet said.
“POTUS isn’t asking, ‘JD or Marco?’ anymore,” one insider reportedly told Axios. “He’s no longer asking, ‘How’s JD doing?’ He’s now saying, ‘JD looks great, right?’”
A pivotal moment for Vance came in mid-June, when he joined presidential envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in helping broker a memorandum of understanding with Iran aimed at reducing hostilities.
The diplomatic effort significantly elevated Vance’s foreign policy profile, said Axios.
The timing also coincided with the June 16 release of Vance’s book, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.”
Already scheduled for a national book tour, Vance received additional media attention as news coverage of his role in the negotiations unfolded alongside the book’s debut, said the outlet.
Vance made 33 public media appearances in June, including interviews with conservative podcasts, a White House press briefing, informal exchanges with reporters, and televised sit-down interviews with liberals including Bill Maher on HBO and the ABC daytime talk show “The View.”
The series of appearances significantly expanded his exposure across audiences with a wide range of political perspectives.
“The president doesn’t watch ‘The View.’ But he saw the clips and loved what he saw,” a Trump adviser told Axios.
Vance has also become a prominent fundraiser for the Republican National Committee, helping generate approximately $70 million in contributions.
The fundraising network is widely viewed as a potential asset should he pursue a presidential campaign in 2028.
National polling shows Vance’s overall favorability rating remains underwater among the broader electorate, roughly in line with President Donald Trump’s.
Among Republican voters, however, his standing is considerably stronger.
According to polling released last month by Navigator Research, a Democratic-aligned firm, Vance holds a net favorability rating of 62% among Republicans, compared with Trump’s 65% and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s 51%, noted the outlet.
In addition, Vance leads all other potential Republican rivals in national and early state polls, Axios said.
Although Trump has expressed satisfaction with Vance’s recent performance, the president has reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with one of the vice president’s most prominent allies, commentator Tucker Carlson, who has become more critical of the administration in recent months.
“So far, Tucker isn’t a problem. But it could be if Trump tells JD to distance himself from him,” another adviser to Trump told Axios.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
