A year ago, the path appeared clear for Vice President JD Vance to emerge as the heir apparent to President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement heading into the 2028 election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vance, who was just 40 years old at the time of the 2024 election, entered office with a wave of support from Republicans and the strong backing of Trump\u2019s family. Early in the administration, many within the party saw him as the natural successor to Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the vice president remains well positioned for a likely 2028 run, quiet questions are beginning to emerge about whether his path to the nomination is as inevitable as it once seemed. Much of that speculation centers on the rising profile of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose influence within the administration has grown significantly during the first year of Trump\u2019s second term \u2014 particularly following the U.S. strikes on Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The long-term political consequences of the conflict remain unclear. But Rubio\u2019s growing visibility has caught the attention of many of Trump\u2019s closest allies \u2014 including the president himself. According to multiple sources who spoke with ABC News, Trump has privately remarked on how \u201cpopular\u201d and \u201cloved\u201d Rubio has become within the administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People close to the president say Trump has repeatedly praised Rubio both publicly and privately. At times, the president has even started standing ovations for him during events and declared that Rubio will go down as \u201cthe greatest secretary of state in history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the growing speculation, Trump has so far declined to formally endorse either Vance or Rubio as his preferred successor. Instead, he has occasionally floated the idea of the two running together on a joint ticket \u2014 without specifying which would lead it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behind closed doors, however, Trump has continued to raise the question with allies and donors. According to sources, the president has asked people directly: \u201cMarco or JD?\u201d \u2014 including during a discussion with donors at his Mar-a-Lago resort in late February, as first reported by Axios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Rubio\u2019s prominence grows, some Republican donors have quietly begun discussing ways to strengthen his political future ahead of the 2028 election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multiple sources told ABC News that a group of donors and party figures has started exploring the possibility of organizing a \u201cdraft Rubio\u201d effort after the 2026 midterm elections. Those discussions are being driven by supporters and political allies rather than Rubio himself, reflecting what some in Trump-aligned circles see as increasing enthusiasm for the secretary of state within the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, Republican operatives note that donor enthusiasm does not necessarily determine the eventual nominee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDonors don\u2019t pick the nominee \u2014 the base picks,\u201d one senior Republican operative told ABC News<\/a>. \u201cDonors tried to abandon President Trump and tried to pick [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis, and we all saw how that went.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked about donor interest in Rubio\u2019s future, White House communications director Steven Cheung downplayed the speculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n