Rubio would step aside for Vance in 2028 White House race
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance (photo: Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not run for the Republican nomination for US president in the 2028 election if Vice President JD Vance announces such an intention, the Associated Press reports.
According to the media outlet, Rubio has repeatedly mentioned in conversations with his advisers and aides his intention to make way for Vance.
The Associated Press emphasizes that in recent months, Rubio, while serving as secretary of state and assistant to the president for national security affairs, has significantly strengthened his influence in the administration by appointing his supporters to key positions on the White House National Security Council.
The outlet also notes that Rubio and Vance are developing different approaches to implementing US President Donald Trump's foreign policy and defense agenda.
Thus, Vance has several times criticized Israel for its actions in Lebanon, while Rubio maintains support for Tel Aviv or refrains from commenting on the Lebanese situation.
In particular, the US secretary of state was so skeptical about the possibility of reaching an acceptable agreement with Tehran that in April, he refused to lead the US delegation at talks in Pakistan.
Vance, in turn, saw this as a chance to strengthen his foreign policy position and, according to the outlet, twice asked Trump to entrust him with leading the mission until the president agreed.
At the same time, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott emphasized that "Rubio and the entire administration are 100% in lockstep behind President Trump."
According to diplomat Ian Kelly, both Vance and Rubio have equal ambitions to become Trump's successors, but if the talks with Iran fail, Vance may face a "failure" in terms of a presidential nomination.
As the Associated Press reports, the politicians' views clearly diverge: Rubio relies on Ronald Reagan's doctrine about the importance of the "free world", while Vance is not interested in this concept and speaks in the language of rejecting "abstractions."
In addition, according to Associated Press sources, Rubio is using his position to reshape the National Security Council around himself, appointing close allies to key positions in the White House in recent weeks.
Among them are former State Department counselor Mike Needham, who took the position of deputy national security adviser, as well as Jeremy Lewin, who previously oversaw the liquidation of the United States Agency for International Development and has now been appointed deputy secretary for the Western Hemisphere.
US presidential election
Last year, US President Donald Trump said he was not even thinking about a third presidential term.
At the same time, he said he liked JD Vance and Marco Rubio and added that Republicans have a strong bench, unlike Democrats.
At the same time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is convinced that Vice President JD Vance is the main favorite in the 2028 presidential election.
In addition, Axios wrote back in early 2025 that Vance was already being positioned as the successor to Make America Great Again in 2028, that is, as a presidential candidate.
