Vice President Vance said President Trump wants him to focus on the current work of this administration, when pressed on conversations over whether he would be the president’s GOP successor in 2028.
The vice president said Trump “talks about everything” when asked by NBC’s “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker if he has had conversations with Trump about him passing the torch to him.
“And if it’s in the news, the president and I have certainly discussed it. But I think the president is just focused on doing a good job for the American people. He wants me to be focused on doing a good job for the American people,” Vance said.
He added, “That’s what I’ll keep on doing. And again, if we take care of business, if America is safer, if it’s more prosperous, if young people could afford to buy a home, if we actually bring peace to all these regions of the world, which we’ve made great progress in doing, the politics will take care of itself.”
Trump earlier this month said it was too soon to settle on a successor to serve as the Republican nominee in 2028, but he acknowledged Vance is the “most likely” heir apparent. The president suggested Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who ran for president in 2016, could make a formidable ticket with Vance.
When asked if he sees himself as the heir apparent of the MAGA movement, Vance said, “No. I see myself as a vice president who’s trying to do a good job for the American people.”
“And if I do a good job, and if the president continues to be successful— as I know that he will be— the politics will take care of itself. We can cross that bridge when we come to it,” Vance said.
He said that the 2026 midterm election is the next big election that will matter for Americans, ahead of the 2028.
“Before we talk about anything three and a half years down the road, let’s take a break from politics, focus on governing the country. And when we return to politics, it’s going to be to focus on those midterm elections,” he added.
Vance also said he hasn’t discussed 2028 with billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, following Wall Street Journal reporting that Musk is halting plans for a new party in order to support the vice president.
