WATCH: President Trump predicts who will replace him in 2028

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Vice President JD Vance is “probably favored” to carry the MAGA mantle in 2028, while leaving the door open for Secretary of State Marco Rubio to join the ticket as Vance’s running mate.

Trump made the comments during a White House ceremony where he signed an executive order establishing a federal task force to prepare for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. A reporter at the event asked, “You could clear the entire Republican field right now. Do you agree that the heir apparent to MAGA is JD Vance?”

“Well, I think, most likely, in all fairness, he’s the vice president. I think Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form. I also think we have incredible people, some of the people on the stage right here,” Trump said.

Trump stopped short of making a formal endorsement but said Vance is the likely early favorite if the 2028 race began today.

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“So it’s too early, obviously, to talk about it, but certainly he’s doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point,” Trump said.

In an interview on Fox News’s “My View with Lara Trump,” Rubio said the same thing, calling Vance a “great nominee” for the Republican Party in 2028, should he choose to run.

“I think JD Vance would be a great nominee … if he decides he wants to do that,” Rubio said.

In May, political analyst Mark Halperin predicted that Vance and Rubio would likely lead the Republican ticket in 2028. He said Rubio has emerged as “one of the stars” of Trump’s second term and is well-positioned to join Vance as his running mate.

“[Rubio] is just one of the stars of this administration,” Halperin said on “Special Report.” “Even if you don’t agree with his policies, his knowledge of policy, his rhetoric and his winning over MAGA. He won a rough spell with MAGA over immigration, and now he is one of the heroes of the movement. And I said it earlier today, and I’ll say it again. I really do think JD Vance and Marco Rubio could end up being a preordained ticket in 2028, unlike [what] we’ve ever seen before.”

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