In a new interview, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would step aside in the 2028 GOP presidential primary if Vice President JD Vance decides to run. “If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio said during the interview, according to the New York Post. Marco Rubio rules out 2028 run if JD Vance seeks Republican nomination https://t.co/khgP6s8ujP pic.twitter.com/VIdRkQQjSq — New York Post (@nypost) December 16, 2025 More from the New York Post: Rubio, 54, and Vance, 41, are widely viewed as the top two potential contenders to succeed term-limited President Trump on the Republican side. Trump, 79, sought to play matchmaker earlier this year, suggesting in public that the pair run together — without saying whom he’d like to see lead the GOP ticket. “We have JD obviously — the vice president is great. Marco’s great. I’m not sure if anybody would run against those two. I think if they formed a group, it would be unstoppable,” Trump said while traveling in Asia this past October. Check it out: 2028 TALK: “I think if they ever formed a group it would be unstoppable.” President Trump backs a potential JD Vance–Marco Rubio ticket for 2028 —but doesn't quite rule out his own political future. pic.twitter.com/DsQdCxNwY8 — Fox News (@FoxNews) October 27, 2025 Vance is currently the overwhelming favorite to win the 2028 GOP presidential nomination. Vice President JD Vance is the clear early favorite for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, with 51% of respondents saying they would vote for him, according to a new Yale youth poll. pic.twitter.com/xWJDnd91Ig — NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) December 8, 2025 Newsmax shared further: Although Trump has sometimes joked about finding a way to serve beyond two terms, senior aides have downplayed it. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told Whipple that Trump has no intention of violating the Constitution, adding that “he sure is having fun with it.” Rubio made his remarks as part of a broader profile of Wiles, a longtime Trump ally and fellow Floridian. In the piece, Wiles commented on Vance’s evolution from an early Trump critic to one of his strongest supporters, describing the shift as “sort of political.” Whipple, who has written extensively about presidential administrations, is the author of “The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency.” After the article’s publication, Wiles blasted the profile on X, calling it “a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history.”