Secretary of State Marco Rubio cast doubt on speculation that he’s positioning himself to challenge Vice President JD Vance in the 2028 presidential race, instead offering praise for the VP.
Asked whether he has plans beyond the State Department, Rubio said he hopes Vance decides to run for president.
“Well, I think JD Vance would be a great nominee. If he decides he wants to do that. I think he’s doing a great job as Vice President. He’s a close friend and I hope he intends to do it,” Rubio said during an appearance on Fox News’ My View With Lara Trump.
While Rubio didn’t close the door on a potential campaign, he emphasized his commitment to his current role.
“It’s kind of early, you know, but being in the role that I’m in here at the Secretary of State, I really don’t play in politics,” Rubio explained. “There’s actually rules against me being involved in domestic politics.”
“I want to do this job as long as the president allows me to do it and stay in that job, which would keep me here all the way through January of 2028,” he added. “You never know what the future holds. You never rule things out or anything.”
Rubio also described Vance as “one of my closest friends in politics.”
Once a top contender for vice president in 2024, Rubio was ultimately passed over by Trump, who chose Vance instead. Since becoming Secretary of State, Rubio has taken on a wide array of responsibilities beyond foreign affairs—including oversight of USAID, acting as a de facto national security adviser, and even stepping in as Archivist.
Vance has poked fun at the long list of jobs Rubio juggles in the Trump administration. “I think he could take on a bit more. If only there was a job opening for a devout Catholic…” Vance quipped after Pope Francis passed away.
The 2028 election is shaping up to be the first wide-open race since 2016 for both major parties, with Trump unlikely to be the GOP nominee—marking a significant turning point for Republicans.
Reflecting on his contentious 2016 primary battle with Trump, Rubio told Lara Trump, “I knew who he was, obviously, but I’d never met him. We happened to be competing for the same thing. So in any competition, especially as you get down and it narrows down to three or four people, you know, punches are going to be thrown.”
“But then that ends and then we’re on the same team because he’s a Republican nominee and I’m a Republican.”
Rubio praised Trump’s leadership style, noting his “incredible instincts for human behavior” and the stark contrast between the fast pace of the Trump administration and the slow-moving Senate.
“It’s incredibly rewarding. There is no point in being in this business and in this line of work if you can’t get things done. So that makes it a lot of fun,” Rubio concluded.
