The real differences inside the GOP driving Vance-Rubio rivalry talk
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
Republicans are starting to have a conversation about the 2028 primaries even though the midterm elections are still more than eight months away.
With President Donald Trump term-limited and constitutionally ineligible to run, they are debating whether it would be better for Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to join forces as one ticket or compete against each other in the primaries.
The online chatter and behind-the-scenes speculation intensified after Rubio delivered a well-received speech at the Munich Security Conference that was frequently compared and contrasted with Vance’s from the previous year.
DEMOCRATS TEST ‘EPSTEIN CLASS’ ATTACK LINE AGAINST TRUMP’S ORBIT
Some Republicans felt Rubio said much the same thing as Vance, though stylistically presenting himself more as the “good cop” to the vice president’s “bad cop.” Others thought Rubio more successfully harmonized pre-Trump internationalism, if not neoconservatism, with the president’s America First posture.
Either way, Rubio — who is, after all, the country’s chief diplomat — got a better reception from Europeans than did Vance in his more combative speech. Vance hailed Rubio’s remarks as “a great speech” and shared them on X.
Asked after Munich about whether Rubio should be his successor, Trump replied, “[It’s] something I don’t have to worry about now. I’ve got three years to go.”
“JD is fantastic and Marco … they’re both fantastic,” he told the reporter, who had not brought up Vance by name.
Both Vance and Rubio have repeatedly shot down attempts to position them as political rivals rather than allies on Team Trump.
Vance told Fox News on Tuesday that Rubio was his best friend in the administration. He said that “the media wants to create this conflict where there just isn’t any conflict,” and added that “Marco is doing a great job,” and “we’re gonna keep on working together.”
Rubio has, for his part, said more than once he supports Vance for the 2028 Republican nomination if the vice president wants to succeed Trump. “If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio told Vanity Fair last year.
That would seem to settle it. But Republicans remain torn over what the best approach to 2028 would be. Some believe coalescing around a unity ticket early and building on their campaign cash advantage while multiple Democrats duke it out for their nomination would help position the GOP to win …
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
Republicans are starting to have a conversation about the 2028 primaries even though the midterm elections are still more than eight months away.
With President Donald Trump term-limited and constitutionally ineligible to run, they are debating whether it would be better for Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to join forces as one ticket or compete against each other in the primaries.
The online chatter and behind-the-scenes speculation intensified after Rubio delivered a well-received speech at the Munich Security Conference that was frequently compared and contrasted with Vance’s from the previous year.
DEMOCRATS TEST ‘EPSTEIN CLASS’ ATTACK LINE AGAINST TRUMP’S ORBIT
Some Republicans felt Rubio said much the same thing as Vance, though stylistically presenting himself more as the “good cop” to the vice president’s “bad cop.” Others thought Rubio more successfully harmonized pre-Trump internationalism, if not neoconservatism, with the president’s America First posture.
Either way, Rubio — who is, after all, the country’s chief diplomat — got a better reception from Europeans than did Vance in his more combative speech. Vance hailed Rubio’s remarks as “a great speech” and shared them on X.
Asked after Munich about whether Rubio should be his successor, Trump replied, “[It’s] something I don’t have to worry about now. I’ve got three years to go.”
“JD is fantastic and Marco … they’re both fantastic,” he told the reporter, who had not brought up Vance by name.
Both Vance and Rubio have repeatedly shot down attempts to position them as political rivals rather than allies on Team Trump.
Vance told Fox News on Tuesday that Rubio was his best friend in the administration. He said that “the media wants to create this conflict where there just isn’t any conflict,” and added that “Marco is doing a great job,” and “we’re gonna keep on working together.”
Rubio has, for his part, said more than once he supports Vance for the 2028 Republican nomination if the vice president wants to succeed Trump. “If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio told Vanity Fair last year.
That would seem to settle it. But Republicans remain torn over what the best approach to 2028 would be. Some believe coalescing around a unity ticket early and building on their campaign cash advantage while multiple Democrats duke it out for their nomination would help position the GOP to win …
The real differences inside the GOP driving Vance-Rubio rivalry talk
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
Republicans are starting to have a conversation about the 2028 primaries even though the midterm elections are still more than eight months away.
With President Donald Trump term-limited and constitutionally ineligible to run, they are debating whether it would be better for Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to join forces as one ticket or compete against each other in the primaries.
The online chatter and behind-the-scenes speculation intensified after Rubio delivered a well-received speech at the Munich Security Conference that was frequently compared and contrasted with Vance’s from the previous year.
DEMOCRATS TEST ‘EPSTEIN CLASS’ ATTACK LINE AGAINST TRUMP’S ORBIT
Some Republicans felt Rubio said much the same thing as Vance, though stylistically presenting himself more as the “good cop” to the vice president’s “bad cop.” Others thought Rubio more successfully harmonized pre-Trump internationalism, if not neoconservatism, with the president’s America First posture.
Either way, Rubio — who is, after all, the country’s chief diplomat — got a better reception from Europeans than did Vance in his more combative speech. Vance hailed Rubio’s remarks as “a great speech” and shared them on X.
Asked after Munich about whether Rubio should be his successor, Trump replied, “[It’s] something I don’t have to worry about now. I’ve got three years to go.”
“JD is fantastic and Marco … they’re both fantastic,” he told the reporter, who had not brought up Vance by name.
Both Vance and Rubio have repeatedly shot down attempts to position them as political rivals rather than allies on Team Trump.
Vance told Fox News on Tuesday that Rubio was his best friend in the administration. He said that “the media wants to create this conflict where there just isn’t any conflict,” and added that “Marco is doing a great job,” and “we’re gonna keep on working together.”
Rubio has, for his part, said more than once he supports Vance for the 2028 Republican nomination if the vice president wants to succeed Trump. “If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio told Vanity Fair last year.
That would seem to settle it. But Republicans remain torn over what the best approach to 2028 would be. Some believe coalescing around a unity ticket early and building on their campaign cash advantage while multiple Democrats duke it out for their nomination would help position the GOP to win …
