Trump reportedly tells donors ‘we need to elect JD’ as 2028 succession race takes shape.

President Donald Trump has privately told Republican donors that Vice President JD Vance should be elected president in 2028, according to The Washington Post, offering one of his clearest signals yet about who he may want to carry the MAGA movement forward.

“At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” Trump reportedly said during an Oval Office meeting with donors roughly two weeks before the Post published its Aug. 6 report. Two people familiar with the conversation described the comments to the newspaper on condition of anonymity.

But anyone interpreting the remark as a formal Trump endorsement may be getting ahead of the president.

After the report emerged, Trump was asked whether he was officially endorsing Vance for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. He said it was “way too early,” while continuing to speak positively about his vice president.

That leaves Republicans with a familiar situation: Trump appears increasingly comfortable with Vance as a possible successor, but he is not yet ready to close off the competition.

Trump’s private comments go further than his public position.

For much of the past year, Trump has encouraged speculation surrounding Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, another senior administration figure frequently mentioned as a possible 2028 contender.

The Washington Post reported that Trump has repeatedly asked people around him about Vance versus Rubio. One White House official told the newspaper that Trump questioned staff members about the two men during a Marine One flight in late July.

Trump has also publicly suggested that Vance and Rubio could make a strong future ticket without definitively saying which man should be the presidential candidate.

Even people inside Trump’s political orbit disagree about how much should be read into the reported Oval Office remark. One adviser told the Post that Trump has effectively settled on Vance as his political heir. Six other advisers and allies cautioned that Trump has not necessarily made a final decision and could still change his mind.

There is also a political reason for Trump to avoid an early endorsement. Naming a successor more than two years before the presidential election could shift attention away from Trump and create the impression that his presidency is entering its final chapter.

Vance, meanwhile, has not announced a presidential campaign.

In a June interview with CBS News, the vice president said he and his wife, Usha Vance, would discuss his political future after the 2026 midterm elections.

“I have no doubt that the president of the United States is going to be very supportive,” Vance said of whatever decision he ultimately makes. He stressed that his immediate priority remains serving as vice president.

Vance and Rubio are already virtually tied.

The unanswered question of Trump’s successor is becoming more significant because early Republican polling shows Vance does not have the field to himself.

An Emerson College Polling survey conducted July 19 and 20 found Vance receiving 39% support on a hypothetical Republican presidential ballot. Rubio stood at 38%, effectively putting the two administration figures neck and neck at this early stage.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump Jr. each received 5%, while 9% of respondents remained undecided.

The poll surveyed 1,100 likely voters nationwide and had an overall credibility interval of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. That makes a one-point difference between Vance and Rubio far too small to establish a clear leader.

Rubio, however, has resisted speculation about running.

The Washington Post reported that the secretary of state has avoided engaging publicly with questions about 2028 and does not currently have a presidential campaign organization waiting to launch. His responsibilities as secretary of state and national security adviser also keep him deeply involved in the administration’s foreign policy agenda.

Trump nevertheless continues to praise Rubio, and the Post reported that he has privately discussed the possibility of eventually putting Vance and Rubio together on a ticket.

The fight over what comes after Trump has already begun

Vance’s potential rise has also exposed a deeper argument inside the Republican Party over what conservatism should look like after Trump.

Axios reported that opinion writers at The Wall Street Journal have repeatedly criticized Vance in recent months, challenging his political approach, his foreign policy positions and his relationship with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

The criticism reflects a larger divide between traditional Republicans and the populist, America First coalition that became dominant under Trump.

Vance’s allies argue that attacks from the older Republican establishment may actually strengthen him with the voters he would need in a presidential primary. One Vance ally told Axios that criticism from the Journal’s editorial board sends exactly the message Vance’s supporters want Republican voters to see.

The vice president has several advantages if he eventually runs. He already holds the second-highest office in the country, has built relationships with Republican donors and has become one of the administration’s most visible defenders.

According to the Post, Trump has also been pleased with Vance’s work on several administration priorities, including his participation in Iran diplomacy, efforts targeting fraud in federal benefit programs and his media appearances.

Still, 2028 remains politically distant.

The November 2026 midterm elections will arrive first, and their outcome could change the calculation for every potential Republican contender. A strong GOP performance could strengthen Trump’s ability to shape the succession battle, while significant Republican losses could encourage more candidates to challenge whoever emerges as his preferred heir.

For now, Vance has something few prospective 2028 Republicans can claim: Trump has reportedly told major supporters that he wants him elected.

What Vance does not yet have is a formal endorsement.

And Trump, at least publicly, is making clear that he is not ready to give one.