Rubio dodges question about running in 2028 and says Vance would make a ‘great’ White House contender

Rubio indicated his priority was to remain secretary of state until the end of the Trump administration - but did not rule out running for president completely

Secretary of State Marco Rubio sidestepped a question this weekend about running for president in 2028, and instead pointed to Vice President JD Vance as a potential “great nominee.”

During an interview with Fox News host Lara Trump, Rubio was asked about throwing his hat in the ring for the 2028 White House. Since becoming Secretary of State, rumors have swirled about the former Florida senator making another run for president.

But Rubio appeared to throw cold water on those rumors, pointing to his “closest friend in politics” as a better option.

“Well, I think JD Vance would be a great nominee, if he decides he wants to do that,” Rubio told President Trump’s daughter-in-law.

“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 added.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed to Vice President JD Vance as a ‘great’ potential nominee for the Republican Party in 2028 (Getty Images)

Rubio, 54, unsuccessfully ran for the Republican presidential nominee against Trump in 2016. During his 11-month campaign, he called Trump a “con artist” which led Trump to bestow his infamous “little Marco” nickname on his future secretary of state.

Since then, Rubio has changed his tune. In 2020, he helped Trump prepare for his debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, then backed his claims of election fraud when he lost the White House. Last year, he endorsed Trump’s re-election bid and was shortlisted for the GOP VP nominee.

In the end, Trump went with Vance as his running mate but Rubio was given the coveted secretary of state position – which he says could be the “apex” of his career.

“I believe that if I am able to be here through the duration of the presidency and we get things done at the pace that we’ve been doing the last six months, I’ll be able to look back at my time in public service and say, ‘I made a difference I made a impact and I served my country in a very positive way.’ I would be satisfied with that as the apex of my career,” Rubio said.

However, the former senator did not completely rule out running in 2028, noting that “you never know what the future holds”.

Rubio got his start in Florida state politics in the late Nineties, rising to become a U.S. senator in 2010. By comparison, Vance was first elected as senator in Ohio in 2022.

Even Trump has named Rubio as a potential inheritor of his MAGA movement, telling NBC in May that he sees both his secretary of state and Vance as potential successors. At the time, three sources in Rubio’s orbit told NBC News that the secretary of state sees the vice president as having first dibs to pursue or refuse the presidency.