The early competition between Marco Rubio and JD Vance for a possible 2028 presidential run is starting to gain attention, giving Republican voters an early idea of what the next race could look like.
According to The Sun, Rubio who is 54 and Vance who is 41, both recently took turns leading White House press briefings while press secretary Karoline Leavitt is on maternity leave. What started as temporary fill-in duties quickly became a major moment for two of the biggest names in the MAGA movement.
President Donald Trump has also added to the speculation. During a Rose Garden dinner last week, Trump asked the crowd, “Who likes JD Vance?” and “Who likes Marco Rubio?” Both questions received loud applause from attendees.
Trump then described the pair as a “dream team” and even suggested they could run together as “a perfect ticket” in 2028. However, he also made it clear that “That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstance,” according to Reuters.
When reporters later asked Trump whose White House briefing performance he preferred, he avoided picking a favorite. “I think they both did great,” Trump said. “Both very good men.”
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Rubio and Vance showed two completely approaches at the podium
The two men could not have looked more different behind the podium and political analysts were paying close attention. Christy Setzer, a political and communications strategist at Washington DC-based public affairs firm New Heights Communications, told The Sun that the briefings were “perfect windows” into how their 2028 candidacies would differ.
Rubio, who took the podium first on May 5, came across as calm, polished and comfortable with the press. “Rubio composed himself as someone who isn’t threatened by questions from the media, and even welcomes them,” Setzer told The Sun. She noted his performance was reminiscent of the Republican Party before Trump’s MAGA era took hold. “That’s a shockingly low bar, but after years of Trump and Karoline Leavitt at the podium, it was stunning to hear a GOP presidential candidate thank a reporter for their question and offer a nuanced explanation in response,” she said.
“That’s what party donors and ‘the normies’ like about him, he is a return to form for non-MAGA Republicans, even as he embraces Trump’s objectives.” Rubio’s team even turned one of his briefing answers into a campaign-style video, featuring him saying he hoped America would be a place where “anyone from anywhere can achieve anything,” per Reuters.
Vance, who stepped up to the podium on Tuesday, went in a completely different direction. According to The Sun, he leaned into a Trump-like style like aggressive, combative and unapologetic. “He was combative, sneering, press-hating and I assume the base ate it up,” Setzer told The Sun. “That’s what he’s counting on in a 2028 run, that ‘own the libs’ will matter more than policy command. Push comes to shove, I assume the party base will go with JD.”
Both men also brought a touch of humor to the chaos of the packed briefing room. Vance playfully ribbed Rubio after he struggled to identify reporters at his May 5 session, where Rubio had pointed to the wrong person saying, “You in the black,” before quickly correcting himself , “Not you. You don’t have black on, you have blue on! I’m colorblind, but I know blue and black.” Taking the stage two weeks later, Vance quipped, “I’ve got my cheat sheet here, so I know who to call on, and most importantly, who not to call on,” per The Sun.
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Rubio and Vance publicly dismiss 2028 talk as speculation grows
Even with growing speculation about a possible 2028 presidential race, both Marco Rubio and JD Vance have publicly tried to avoid talking about future campaigns.
According to Reuters, Vance quickly shut down questions about a possible White House run when a reporter called him “a potential future candidate.”
“I’m not a potential future candidate. I’m a vice president, and I really like my job, and I’m going to try to do as good of a job as I can,” Vance said.
Meanwhile, Rubio has openly praised Vance and even suggested he would support him in the future.
“JD’s a very good friend of mine. JD runs for president, I think he’d be a phenomenal candidate. I’ve said publicly, and I’ll say it again, I’ll be the first person to sign up and support him. I think JD would do great,” Rubio told NBC News as per The Sun.
When asked if he would ever want to serve as Vance’s running mate, Rubio avoided giving a direct answer.
“I want to be secretary of state, and I’ll worry about the future in the future. I’m not telling you that’s what I’m aiming for. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I was in the Senate starting in 2010,” Rubio said.
