US President Donald Trump has stopped short of endorsing Vice President JD Vance for a potential 2028 presidential bid, despite Vance saying he believed Trump would support him if he decided to run.
Trump addressed the issue on Tuesday while appearing alongside Vance in the Oval Office, describing the vice president as talented and a good person but indicating that discussions about the 2028 race had not taken place.
“He’s a very talented person and he’s a very good person,” Trump said when asked about Vance.
“I don’t think we’ve ever talked about it,” the president said, turning to Vance.
“No, sir. I said that too,” Vance chimed in.
“Who would believe that?” Trump said, “I don’t talk about it with him. He doesn’t talk about it [with me]. It’s early.”
“We have to get through the midterms. We’ll see how it goes,” he added.
Vance had spoken about the possibility of succeeding Trump during an interview with 2Way on Monday. He said he expected the president to endorse him if he eventually entered the 2028 race, while acknowledging that Trump’s backing could have a significant impact on the contest.
“I think I would get his endorsement, but I also think there’s something to be said for people actually running their own race,” the vice president said. “And because the president’s endorsement is so dispositive, you could absolutely see a scenario where the president says, ‘You know what? We need to let like this race play out and not preemptively prejudge the results.’”
Vance also acknowledged that a presidential campaign could expose candidates to intense scrutiny and pressure.
“Like sometimes you know media scrutiny, pressure, policy. I can be terrible at it, and that is the sort of thing that maybe you know, so I don’t know,” he continued.
The vice president stressed that he had not discussed a potential presidential campaign with Trump, adding that his expectation of receiving the president’s endorsement was based on his own assessment.
“if I run, I think the president would endorse me. But I also haven’t talked to him about it yet,” Vance said.
Vance has repeatedly said his immediate priority is helping Republicans retain their majorities in Congress during the upcoming midterm elections. Nevertheless, his name has increasingly been mentioned among Republicans as a potential contender for the 2028 presidential nomination.
