You have to like how Vice President JD Vance handled this question. While sitting down with Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Vice President JD Vance was asked whether he has had a conversation with President Trump about whether he will be his successor in 2028. Vance, without any hesitation, responded to the question by sharing that President Trump is focused on doing a good job now, and he is also focused on the present moment. Watch here: Kristen Welker: “Do you see yourself as the apparent future of the MAGA movement?” VP JD Vance: “No, I see myself as the Vice President who’s trying to do a good job for the American people…The next election that matters is not the election of 2028, it’s 2026.” pic.twitter.com/cC40zNBRWl — Julia (@Jules31415) August 24, 2025 The Hill covered Vance’s interview more in-depth: 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. President Trump previously shared that Vice President Vance will likely be his successor. Watch here: President Trump called JD Vance his “most likely” successor for 2028 and floated Marco Rubio as his running mate. Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/plBmeMt32O — AF Post (@AFpost) August 5, 2025 AP reported Vance is the likely heir with Marco Rubio as his possible VP: Although President Donald Trump has not directly said he thinks JD Vance should be the heir to his “Make America Great Again” base of support, he acknowledged this week that his vice president is probably the favorite to succeed him “at this point.” But even as he promoted Vance, Trump also made sure to mention Secretary of State Marco Rubio, telling reporters at the White House on Tuesday that his administration’s top diplomat is “somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form” on a future political ticket. The remarks reflect the massive influence the Republican president currently has over his party. They also serve to promote two of Trump’s top advisers without telegraphing the president’s singular preference for a successor. Not definitively anointing Vance, or any other Republican, keeps those hoping to succeed Trump vying for his favor, both inside his administration and in the wider Republican field of possible contenders. It’s early for the 2028 presidential field to begin forming, and other contenders will ultimately emerge. A challenge for anyone wading into the race, even with strong Trump connections, will be staying in the president’s good graces for the duration. “I think most likely, in all fairness, he’s the vice president,” Trump said. “I think Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form. … It’s too early obviously, to talk about it, but certainly he’s doing a great job and he would be, probably favored at this point.”