Vance Unsure if Trump Would Endorse 2028 Presidential Bid 'Right Out the Gate'

Sen. JD Vance has expressed uncertainty about whether former President Donald Trump would immediately endorse him should Vance decide to run for president in 2028, noting that he has not discussed such a possibility with Trump.

Vance shared these thoughts during an interview with journalist Mark Halperin on his platform 2Way. He emphasized that his current focus is on the upcoming midterm elections, but did not rule out a future presidential run.

"I think if I run, the president will endorse me," Vance stated. However, when pressed by Halperin on whether the endorsement would come immediately, Vance responded, "Right away? I would think so, but I don’t know, man. I haven’t talked to him about it."

Vance also pushed back on the idea that it would be awkward to discuss his presidential ambitions with Trump if the former president were to delay an endorsement. "No, I don’t think it’d be weird," Vance said. "Again, I think I would get his endorsement, but I also think there’s something to be said for people actually running their own race, and because the president’s endorsement is so dispositive, you could absolutely see a scenario where the president says, ‘You know what? We need to let, like, this race play out and not, like, preemptively prejudge the results.'"

Earlier in the conversation, Vance reiterated his previous assertion that Trump's endorsement is highly influential in Republican primaries. He noted that Trump's endorsement often signals to voters that a candidate is not aligned with the party establishment, a characteristic that resonates with his base.

"That’s the person they say, ‘Okay, if Trump is with a guy, that must mean that the elites are against that guy,'" Vance explained. "I think that Trump’s endorsement just carries more weight than any political endorsement in history because of that. Obviously, the voters are gonna decide. Donald Trump is only one vote of many, but I think his endorsement is still the most powerful."

This discussion about potential 2028 ambitions comes after Trump previously referred to Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a "dream team" for the 2028 presidential race, though he did not specify who would lead the ticket. Vance acknowledged his relationship with Rubio, stating, "I love Marco. I think he's a great secretary of state. He's become a very, very dear friend. But I think both of us are very much focused on accomplishing the American people's business right now."