By The Daily Caller (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-07 01:11:46 | Updated at 2026-08-07 05:32:59
5 hours ago
President Donald Trump appears to have indicated who he would like to see succeed him as the face of the GOP and in the White House, according to a new Washington Post report.
During a recent private meeting with donors in the Oval Office, Trump said that “at the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” two people with knowledge of the comments told the Post. For months, Trump has privately and publicly polled allies, friends and staff on who should succeed him: Vance or Rubio. (RELATED: Bill Maher Tells JD Vance His ‘Vote Is In Play’ As Democratic Party Continues To Elect Socialists)
“JD has all the bona fides of Trump, with a charm and disarming personality that makes it hard to taint him with the brashness and sometimes undesirable qualities of the President. He, like DeSantis, has an ability to evangelize MAGA that moves people toward it, not away from it,” one source close to the administration told the Caller.
“Having the President’s backing is the biggest hurdle, and it’s one that will keep others at bay. The fact that it’s coming so early is great for the party when the other side is lost,” the source added.
The president denied that the report was an endorsement in response to a Daily Caller question in the Oval Office.
“No… I think he’s great, but we’re way to early to even be thinking about that,” Trump said, acknowledging that he had heard of the Post story.
While the president has seemed interested in discussing 2028, sometimes even joking that he would run for a third term, a second source close to the administration told the Caller that the operations crew has only been thinking and talking about 2026 and the midterms.
Despite the comment to donors in the Oval Office, the president has continued to ask for people’s thoughts about Vance vs. Rubio, the Washington Post reported. One adviser to the president told the outlet that Trump has “privately resolved” that Vance will succeed him but it remains too early to determine when the president will formally endorse the vice president.
A third source close to the administration told the Caller that, as with Trump’s selection of a vice president, no one will know his choice until he officially says something and only person who really knows what he meant and what he is thinking is the president.
Behind the scenes, Trump has consistently praised the vice president, the source added.
Another source close to the administration told the Caller that Trump’s remark to donors may not be set in stone, but he noted that the president’s comfort with Vance could ultimately tip him toward the veep. He is the natural pick, the source said, given that Vance already holds the office.
“Anyone assuming it’s a lock is just getting way ahead of themselves, or just doesn’t know the president very well,” another official told the Post. The outlet reported that, after making the Oval Office comment about Vance, Trump asked two guests on Marine One whether Vance or Rubio should run.
