President Donald Trump polled a crowd Monday on Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential 2028 Republican candidates, calling the possible ticket a “dream team.”
Trump made the comments to a crowd at the White House Rose Garden during a dinner honoring law enforcement.
“Who likes JD Vance?” Trump asked the audience, which proceeded to cheer. “Who likes Marco Rubio?” he followed up. The crowd also applauded.
“Sounds like a good ticket … that was a perfect ticket. By the way, I do believe that’s a dream team, but these are minor details,” Trump added.
Early positioning by potential candidates has carried added weight, as polling since last year has suggested close hypothetical contests between Vance and prominent Democrats while highlighting uncertainty within both parties.
Within the Democratic field, surveys in 2026 showed former Vice President Kamala Harris leading prospective primary voters overall in many polls, with California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also drawing measurable support, along with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
No candidate has formally announced their candidacy. Vance has previously said he is planning to sit down with the president after the midterms to discuss the 2028 election.
What To Know
While speaking to the crowd, Trump added while looking at Vance, “That does not mean you have my endorsement, under any circumstance. I think it sounds like presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate.”
Columbia University professor Robert Y. Shapiro told Newsweek on Monday: “They should wait for Trump to make an endorsement. Let Trump say let the voters decide. Compare this to when Obama chose Clinton over Biden. Of course that did not end well for the incumbent party. There may be a lesson there to let the voters decide. If Vance wins he can choose Rubio as a running mate.”
What Recent Polls Show
A new Focaldata poll in partnership with The Financial Times shows Vance in the lead over Rubio and Donald Trump Jr. as potential 2028 Republican nominees.
The poll shows Vance landed 40 percent, Rubio had 14 percent, Donald Trump Jr. garnered 15 percent and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis collected 8 percent. The survey shows 11 percent are unsure and other potential candidates have single digits.
The poll was conducted from May 1 to May 5 among 1,291 likely Republican primary voters. “Results were weighted by age group, gender, region, education level, ethnicity, recalled 2024 presidential vote, recalled 2020 presidential vote, and political interest,” the poll notes.
Across the aisle, 1,339 likely Democratic primary voters were also polled. Harris landed 38 percent for the potential Democratic nominee versus Newsom’s 16 percent and Ocasio-Cortez and Buttigieg’s 9 percent. Other possible candidates landed single digits. The survey notes that 10 percent are unsure.
A poll from Echelon Insights last month also shows Vance with 42 percent of the vote compared to Rubio’s 14 percent, Trump Jr.’s 10 percent and DeSantis’ 8 percent. The survey also shows 13 percent are unsure.
That poll surveyed 1,012 voters in the likely electorate from April 17 to April 20 and has a 3.5 percent margin of error.
A Verasight’s 2026 Variety Survey shows Vance has 37 percent of the potential vote compared to Rubio’s 16 percent, Trump Jr.’s 13 percent and DeSantis’ 7 percent. Other potential candidates landed single digits. The survey shows 9 percent are not sure and 1 percent would say someone else.
The poll was taken from April 21 to April 23 among 802 Republican and Republican-leaning adults, with a margin of error of 2.3 percent.
Prediction market site Polymarket shows that Vance has a nearly 37 percent chance of winning the 2028 Republican nominee versus Rubio’s roughly 25 percent. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has about 6 percent chance, DeSantis has 3 percent and Trump Jr. has 2 percent as of 10:24 p.m. Monday.
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