Two key figures, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, appear to be the front-runners. Trump himself suggested that Vance is the "likely" candidate to succeed him, while also leaving open the possibility of a Vance-Rubio joint ticket.

President Donald Trump is pitting two of his closest confidants to succeed him in office. “Which one of you is going to be at the top of the ticket?” the president told Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio,

Rather, it’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who again was talked up as a potential running mate by current Vice President JD Vance in 2028. Vance, who holds a formidable lead in all polling of the still-conceptual Republican presidential field in 2028, did not say no when Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo asked if he was looking at 2028.