Donald Trump’s declaration about not wanting JD Vance to be his successor has shocked everyone. The President recently declared that he wouldn’t be the current Vice President to be the 2028 Republican electoral candidate.
Vance who is the second in command has been a veteran in the Marine Corps. He is also an author and attorney. Vance has publicly opposed Trump’s candidacy in the 2016 election. He has also labelled Trump as “America’s Hitler” previously.
JD Vance has been a loyal supporter of Trump for a significant amount of time now. The President’s son Donald Trump Jr played a major role in JD earning his support.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump was asked if Vance was his choice for the 2028 GOP candidate. “No, but he is very capable” Trump simply replied. Here’s a list of Republicans that could be Trump’s pick for the electoral candidate.
Donald Trump
The 22nd Amendment in the US Constitution dictates that an individual cannot be elected as the President more than twice. According to the Amendment, Trump is technically out of the race after he finishes his term in office as the 47th President.
But the most important legal document of the nation hasn’t dissuaded the Republican from wanting to be elected a third time. Trump has joked about running for office again in the future after being elected a second time.
Notably, the current Supreme Court has a conservative supermajority that could serve in Trump’s interest. The President could rewrite the precedent if he has enough sway.
Donald Trump Jr.
Donald Trump Jr. has played a major role in JD Vance being chosen as the Vice President. Don Jr. lobbied strongly for Vance to be picked as his father’s running mate. Reportedly he also helped the Vice President fit into the MAGA movement.
Don Jr. currently serves as the trustee and executive vice president for the Trump organization. What is evident in his speeches is that Don Jr. shares the political ideologies and stances of JD Vance. The two reportedly even share the same political aide and strategist.
Talks about Donald Jr. entering politics have been going around for a while. The oldest Trump kid could be a promising candidate in the run for 2028 GOP candidate.
Glenn Youngkin
Glenn Youngkin, the 74th Governor of Virginia could be one of the promising GOP candidates for the 2028 election. The 58-year-old actively stayed away from being considered when the Vice President was being shortlisted for the 2024 elections. Some took this as a sign that Younkin was aiming higher than the Vice Presidency.
Youngkin whose term as the Governor of Virginia ends in 2025, will not be able to run for the 2025 reflection. The law in Virginia does not allow an individual to run for Governor more than once. This limitation might just be enough for Youngkin to show interest in running for President.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy is reportedly aiming to run for governor of Ohio in 2026. Ohio has previously proven to be a swing state, meaning it could either go Democratic or Republican. The state became Republican-leaning after Trump’s three Presidential runs converted the previous swing state.
BREAKING: Vivek Ramaswamy just filed paperwork with the Secretary of State to run for Governor of Ohio.
All the preliminary polls show Vivek dominating the primaries, which means a landslide general election win against the Democrat candidate.
Vivek wants to transform Ohio &… pic.twitter.com/NKqbXLxsEw
— George (@BehizyTweets) February 15, 2025
Trump’s chances of backing Ramaswamy could be affected by the result of his Governor’s run. The politician could gain the President’s endorsement if he manages to win the election. This in turn could make him a big player in the 2028 elections.
Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis did not emerge victorious in the 2024 GOP nomination but still keeps his stronghold over his governorship. The former Naval officer is serving his second term as the governor of Florida. Florida which was once a swing state like Ohio has become fully Republican-leaning after DeSantis came into power.
Ron will likely face next to no opposition from the Florida Democratic Party if he decides to go for the 2028 GOP bid. Trump’s dislike towards the fact that DeSantis challenged him in 2024 stands as a clear disadvantage for him.
Ron DeSantis is the best governor in the nation — and it’s not even close. pic.twitter.com/1cTDs5XCnl
— Cryptid Politics 🇺🇸🐊 (@CryptidPolitics) February 9, 2025
The former Naval officer still stands to probably be the most promising candidate in the GOP circle. His experience when it comes to national campaigns will definitely serve as an advantage to the Republican.
He also has a well-established infrastructure when it comes to running a national campaign as compared to the other candidates. His 2024 national campaign has surely given him a list of established donors and political contacts.
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio is an attorney who is serving as the 72nd United States Secretary of State. Rubio entering the 2028 electoral race will surely create complications for DeSantis. Both politicians are from Florida and will have to compete to gain the favor of donors from the same political base.
Rubio who was previously the senator of Florida, serves as an integral part of Trump’s cabinet. The politician ran for President in 2016 and eventually lost to Trump.
The 53-year-old reportedly has strong alliances within the GOP, this would definitely give him an edge over his competitors.
