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World
Donald Trump polled dinner guests on whether Marco Rubio or JD Vance should be the 2028 Republican nominee.
Donald Trump turned a Monday evening dinner at the White House Rose Garden into an impromptu popularity contest for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, publicly polling attendees on whether Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio should succeed him. The unusual straw poll, conducted in front of reporters, has stirred fresh speculation inside GOP circles about the party’s future standard-bearer.
“Who will it be? Will it be JD? Or will it be someone else? I don’t know,” Trump said during his remarks, according to video of the event. He then addressed the crowd directly: “Alright, let’s start. Are you ready? Who prefers JD Vance?” Applause followed from Vance supporters. “Who prefers Marco Rubio?” he continued, drawing cheers from Rubio’s backers.
The informal survey, combined with Trump’s willingness to pose the question openly with journalists present, underscores his active engagement in shaping the succession debate within the Republican Party. While no official candidate has emerged for 2028, Vance has long been viewed as Trump’s most prominent political heir.
Rubio’s visibility has climbed sharply since taking over as the top US diplomat. His frequent foreign travel, high-profile media appearances, and multiple roles inside the Trump administration have injected his name into internal discussions at the White House and among Republican operatives in Washington, challenging Vance’s status as the presumed frontrunner.
