Marco Rubio backs JD Vance for 2028, but keeps door open to White House bid
'Well, I think JD Vance would be a great nominee. If he decides he wants to do that. I think he's doing a great job as Vice President. He's a close friend and I hope he intends to do it,' Rubio said.
While Rubio didn't entirely close the door on a 2028 bid, he emphasised that his attention remains on his current responsibilities as America's top diplomat.
'It's kind of early, you know, but being in the role that I'm in here at the Secretary of State, I really don't play in politics,' he said.
'I want to do this job as long as the president allows me to do it and stay in that job, which would keep me here all the way through January of 2028.'
He added that there are official restrictions on his political involvement:
'There's actually rules against me being involved in domestic politics.'
Since being appointed Secretary of State under President Trump, Rubio has taken on several demanding assignments, including overseeing the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The 2028 election will likely mark the first time since 2016 that both major parties will not have an incumbent or past nominee leading the field. Republicans, in particular, are expected to face a transition, with Donald Trump unlikely to be the party's standard bearer.
Rubio's comments may be an early signal that he's positioning himself as a supporter—or potential running mate—for a Vance-led ticket.
Rubio also reflected on his 2016 rivalry with then-candidate Donald Trump, who famously dubbed him 'Little Marco' during the bruising Republican primary.
'I knew who he was, obviously, but I'd never met him,' Rubio said.
'We happened to be competing for the same thing. So in any competition… punches are going to be thrown. But then that ends and then we're on the same team because he's a Republican nominee and I'm a Republican.'
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