President Donald Trump said in a preview of his Super Bowl interview on Monday that it’s “too early” to endorse Vice President JD Vance as his Republican successor.
When Fox News’s Bret Baier asked if he views Vance as his “successor” and the Republican nominee in 2028, Trump said, “No, but he’s very capable. I think you have a lot of very capable people.””So far, I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early, we’re just starting,” Trump added.Why It MattersTrump cannot run for a third term as president, per the United States Constitution, leaving questions about who will become the leader of the post-Trump Republican Party.
Vance is widely viewed as a future presidential candidate after being elevated to the vice presidency by Trump last year. But not all Republicans are completely sold on Vance.The vice president’s past anti-Trump comments continue to follow him, though he has since said he is a strong supporter of the president and emerged as a close ally in 2022. Meanwhile, his favorability on the campaign trail remained relatively low. It’s increased since, but he remains 2.6 points underwater, per FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate.
Baier responded to Trump’s declining to back Vance as his successor by pointing out that by the 2026 midterms, Vance will likely be looking for Trump’s endorsement if he chooses to run.
Trump pivoted away from responding, instead saying that “a lot of people have said this has been the greatest opening, almost three weeks, in the history of the presidency.””We’ve done so much, so fast,” Trump said. “And we really had to because they have really, what they’ve done to our country is so sad.
Baier described Trump’s answer as “shocking” when discussing the interview on Fox News Monday afternoon, just hours before the full interview aired.”I think it was a little shocking when he said no. I wasn’t expecting that, but you know, following up, once you get to the midterms, you start to think about 2028, and one would think JD Vance is going to be position for that role,” Baier said. “But clearly, the president isn’t ready to talk about that or think about it, and said there are other people that may get in the mix.
What People Are SayingConservative pundit Joey Mannarino, on X, formerly Twitter: “So many people think this is a dig at JD Vance. They don’t know how Trump works. Trump isn’t going to crown JD successor with 21 days of seeing his work as VP. Trump wants JD to earn it. And that makes perfect sense.”Matt Whitlock, a former spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, on X: “The full clip makes clear it’s not about JD, it’s about not wanting to talk about a successor 3 weeks into the job. Don’t expect that context to make the rounds though.”Sarah Longwell, an anti-Trump Republican strategist, on X: “That was a pretty hard NO on endorsing JD Vance.
