Rubio Says He Would Back JD Vance in 2028, Keeps Focus on State Department Role

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would be “the first person” to support Vice President JD Vance if Vance seeks the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, even as early polling continues to place both men among the leading names in the GOP’s post-Trump future.

Rubio made the remarks during an NBC News interview, where he was asked whether he still wanted to be president. Rather than stoke speculation about his own ambitions, Rubio said his priority is completing his work as secretary of state under President Donald Trump.

“I’m going to be in this job for the next two and a half years,” Rubio said. “I’m going to do that job. I’m going to finish the job for this president. I’m enjoying it very much. I think we’re going to make a lot of good things happen.”

Rubio then praised Vance, calling him “a very good friend” and a strong potential standard-bearer for Republicans.

“If JD runs for president, I think he’d be a phenomenal candidate,” Rubio said. “I’ve said publicly, and I’ll say it again, I’ll be the first person to sign up and support him. I think JD would do great.”

Asked whether he would consider serving as vice president, Rubio again declined to look beyond his current post.

“I want to be the secretary of state, and I’ll worry about the future in the future,” Rubio said, adding that while public service remains an honor, he has been in national politics since entering the Senate in 2010 and may eventually want to do “some other things” with his life.

The comments come amid growing speculation over the Republican Party’s 2028 field, as President Trump’s second term continues to shape the future direction of the conservative movement. Vance has repeatedly polled as a leading GOP contender, while Rubio has also remained near the top of hypothetical Republican primary matchups.

A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll conducted April 23-26, 2026, among 2,745 registered voters found Vance leading the Republican field with 48 percent support, followed by Donald Trump Jr. at 18 percent, Rubio at 16 percent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at nine percent, and Tucker Carlson at four percent. The same survey showed former Vice President Kamala Harris leading the Democratic field with 50 percent support, ahead of California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 22 percent.

Another recent survey taken May 1-5 among 3,612 U.S. adults also showed Vance and Harris leading their respective hypothetical primary fields, with Vance at 40 percent among Republicans and Harris at 38 percent among Democrats.

However, the early Democratic picture remains unsettled. An AtlasIntel poll taken May 4-7 among 2,069 U.S. adults showed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leading the Democratic field with 26 percent, followed by Pete Buttigieg at 22.4 percent, Newsom at 21.2 percent, and Harris at 12.9 percent.

Vance has also downplayed the early 2028 chatter, recently joking that Trump was not running an “Apprentice”-style contest between him and Rubio to choose a successor. Trump has publicly floated both men as possible future leaders of the movement but has not issued a formal endorsement for 2028.

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