Vance says he'll "sit down" with Trump to discuss a 2028 run after midterms
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Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Monday. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Vice President JD Vance told Fox News Thursday evening he'll talk with President Trump after the midterm elections about possibly running for president in 2028, but 2026 is his immediate focus.
Why it matters: Vance is a MAGA favorite for 2028 and early polls show he's a leading Republican primary candidate and is competitively placing in a hypothetical matchup with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who's widely expected to run for president and who currently has a slight edge.
Driving the news: Fox News' Sean Hannity noted during the interview on his show "Hannity" that "two days after the midterms, we get into a cycle, meaning 2028" and he asked Vance if he'd thought about running.
- "I would say that I thought about what that moment might look like after the midterm elections, sure. But ... whenever I think about that, I try to put it out of my head and remind myself the American people elected me to do a job right now and my job is to do it," Vance responded.
- "And if you start getting distracted and focused on what comes next, I think it actually makes you worse at the job that you have."
Zoom in: Vance said he's "very focused" on the midterms because "what the president has set in motion is a long-term economic revitalization effort" for the U.S.
- "I really want us to win the midterms because if the Democrats get in power, they're going to try to screw up a lot of the great things the president of the United States has done over the past 10 months," he said.
- "Trees that have been planted, some of which won't even bear fruit for a few years. I don't want the Democrats to screw that up," Vance added.
- "So, we're going to win the midterms. We're going to do everything that we can to win the midterms. And then after that, I'm going to sit down with the president of the United States and talk to him about it."
Of note: Hannity said some people would naturally think that he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, another possible 2028 contender, "they might eventually one day be rivals," but he didn't get that from the vice president's description of him as his "best friend" in the administration.
- "If Marco eventually runs for president, then ... we can cross that bridge when we come to it," Vance said.
- Hannity noted that "Trump wants to design the next ticket."
- Vance agreed and admitted people had asked him if he saw Rubio as a rival, but he added: "First of all, if either one of us end up running, it's a long, long ways in the future, and neither of us is entitled to it."
More from Axios:
- MAGA already looking to anoint Vance for 2028
- Potential 2028 GOP contenders already making moves
- Trump again declines to rule out unconstitutional third term
Editor's note: This article has been updated with more comment from Vice President JD Vance.
