“Best I’ve Ever Met”: Tucker Carlson’s 2028 GOP Nominee Prediction

The future is always in our minds.  We’re just wired that way.

Some of us fixate on it to a fault, and some of us try to sweep it under the rug — as the saying goes — and put it out of mind, lest we worry.

But weeks before President Donald J. Trump was sworn in to office on January 20th of this year… people were buzzing about who would come NEXT.

Who would be the 2028 GOP nominee for President after Trump?

There’s always the idea that somehow, some way, a Trump 3rd (or 4th, depending on how you do the math) could become reality.

At this point I don’t think that’s such an impossible thing.  There are legitimate ways that could play out — but that’s a different story for a different time.

What I feel obliged to report on now isn’t exactly a “new” news story, though it has suddenly popped back up in the news cycle for some reason.

During an interview with Vince Goglianese on what was formerly Dan Bongino’s show, Tucker Carlson made his own predictions about who would capture the 2028 GOP nomination.

And as I said, for reasons I’m not quite sure of, that prediction is suddenly all over social media and being talked about in news circles right now.

If you’ll recall, President Trump was asked point blank in a pre-Super Bowl interview about the person that many people see as the obvious answer to that question.

Surprisingly, President Trump unhesitatingly said he did NOT view his current VP as his successor.  Here’s that clip in case you missed it:

That shocked a lot of people.

Even taking into consideration President Trump’s measured and reasonable reasons for not immediately touting Vance as his successor, many assumed that the President would automatically see Vance as his successor.

To be fair, President Trump didn’t say Vance wouldn’t make a good President; quite the opposite!

He just wasn’t ready to go all in, years in advance, and assume that Vance would be THAT PERSON when the time rolled around.

A lot of things can happen in 4 years, both good and bad.

But according to Tucker Carlson — who has interviewed Vance on multiple occasions and whose son actually works in the Vice President’s office — there could be no other choice.

Here’s the clip currently making the rounds with Tucker Carlson’s observations about JD Vance, which I agree with even more than I already did after researching this story:

Tucker Carlson: "JD Vance is the future. Period. Republicans have not had that. Nobody was betting on Mike Pence." pic.twitter.com/wOORuaDRIa

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 11, 2025

Here’s the full screen video of that clip for easier viewing:

Tucker Carlson: “JD Vance is the future. Period. Republicans have not had that. Nobody was betting on Mike Pence.” pic.twitter.com/wOORuaDRIa

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 11, 2025

According to Carlson, the combination of Vance’s loyalty, intellect, and genuine conviction will make him the obvious GOP nominee in 2028, as reported in the Daily Mail:

The famous ex-Fox News host spoke about Trump’s successor in a conversation with radio show host Vince Coglianese, who replaced broadcaster Dan Bongino on his show after he was appointed to serve as the Deputy Director of the FBI.

‘I don’t see any other, at this point, as of today, any other conceivable option. I think JD Vance will be the nominee,’ Carlson revealed.

“I think his loyalty is without question and his service to Trump has been profound,” Carlson said.

He questioned whether any other Republican had risen to a similar level as Vance.

‘There’s no one else,’ he said. ‘Already it’s a tough gig for any vice president … but I think JD Vance has already been a powerful partner, subordinate partner, but he has been a powerful partner for Trump.’

‘He’s sincere. And he’s thought it through and he’s not afraid and he rises to the occasion. But he actually believes something, he’s not kidding. I don’t think you could pay JD Vance to say certain things,’ he said.

Carlson added that he believed Vance was ‘legit smart, not pretend smart’ and principled.

‘For a politician to have actual principle is unusual,’ he said.

Everything that Tucker Carlson said in that interview about JD Vance checks out for me.  It all passes the smell test, from my vantage point.

The way I see it, if I’m pro-Trump… I’m even MORE pro-Vance.  The only difference I really see between the two (besides the age difference) is that JD Vance is even better at articulating his position!

It would be illogical and feel very weird for me to somehow NOT see JD Vance as the next step after the final Trump Presidency — whenever that may be.  (Cryptic undertones intended.)

And according to the most accurate pollster of the 2020 and 2024 elections, me and Tucker aren’t the only ones who are thinking that way.

Check out this massive polling lead!:

🚨 JUST IN: JD Vance leads 2028 GOP presidential primary by 51 points, most accurate pollster of 2020 and 2024 finds

🔴 J.D. Vance: 60% (+51)
🟣 Ron DeSantis: 9%
🟢 Marco Rubio: 9%
🟤 Kristi Noem: 8%@Atlas_Intel pic.twitter.com/xaOZ5ioFUN

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 17, 2025

Those were the numbers as of a week ago.

And they have consistently shown JD Vance RISING in popularity week after week since the Trump Administration took the reins.

In researching this story, I found something I had missed; maybe you did, too.

And this could have massive implications one way or another when the 2028 decision time rolls around.

Not only for Vance, but also for those who are in positions to make or break any potential run at the Presidency from within the Republican Party.

He has already been placed in a position of serious power — even besides that of the Vice Presidency — that will likely either set him apart as the uncontested front-runner in 2028, or destroy any hopes he may have in that direction.

How JD Vance took a giant step toward locking up 2028 Republican nomination for president already https://t.co/GdGkiSociV pic.twitter.com/x8m1oc3r8i

— New York Post (@nypost) March 22, 2025

JD Vance is the first Vice President in history to hold the position of Republican National Committee Finance Chair.

The entire GOP fundraising apparatus is squarely in his lap, for better… or worse.

A win there would mean almost certain victory in claiming the GOP nomination, but a failure to bring in the money could end his political career for good, as report by the New York Post:

The Republican world is swimming in rumors about 2028 — but Vice President Vance keeps rising to the top.

Vance’s unprecedented post as Republican National Committee finance chair gives the 40-year-old a leg up to be President Trump’s successor, GOP insiders told The Post, with some going as far as arguing he will be the sure-fire choice.

“If he puts the RNC fundraising machine into overdrive and the party over-performs in 2026, he’ll solidify himself as the next GOP torchbearer. That is, if he stays in the good graces of you know who,” one source close to the White House said.

No Republicans — or Democrats — have officially dropped their names into the 2028 hat yet, but Vance could possibly face Republicans like Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley in the primaries, and Democrats like former Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in the general election.

The RNC finance chair position is the first time a sitting vice president has been appointed to the post and will allow Vance to get more face time with donors and Republicans.

But the responsibility of shoring up cash for the tight-margin midterms may be a testing ground for the newly minted VP to see how he does with leading the GOP apparatus — and his fate does still ultimately rest with the Trump seal of approval, insiders say.

A Vance ally expressed optimism with his position already, telling The Post that the finance chair position might be helpful on the “margins,” but he has already had access to donors and Republicans during his campaign run with Trump.

“If he can ride the MAGA wave, collect some wins and focus on building relationships with lawmakers that will have his back, he should be able to slide into the nomination,” a second source close to the White House said.

The likelihood that JD Vance proves to be a formidable contender for the 2028 GOP nomination is probably a solid bet even before you factor in the Finance Chair position he now holds.

And I agree with Tucker; not just about his intellect and emotional control — though that alone puts him HEAD AND SHOULDERS above any Democratic challenger the DNC has mustered so far.

But I agree with Tucker about JD Vance’s integrity.

I’m not claiming to have the all-knowing powers of God, but I’m a pretty good judge of character.

JD Vance hits me as someone who has come to grips with his own humanity to the degree that TRUE HUMILITY is the only realistic byproduct.

I think Vance has that; true humility — a very powerful and rare thing.

Like Tucker alluded to, most politicians aren’t even truly smart- they are “pretend smart”; and most are only PRETEND HUMBLE, as well.

That false humility does nothing but set them up for the arrogance and pride that can only precede very real failure.

But if a person can get to the point that they have a fairly accurate view of themselves, not too high, and not unfairly low, a confidence and strength can grow from that mindset that looks a lot like… well — it looks a lot like what I see in JD Vance, quite frankly.

A confidence based on realistic merit, buffered by humility, and unfazed by opposition.

And a person like that is DANGEROUS to tangle with, is highly likely to OUTPERFORM the competition, is far less likely to make the PRIDEFUL MISTAKES of his counterparts, and is far more likely to ADMIT HIS MISTAKES as soon as he makes them — and move past without falling into unrepairable disgrace.

As I said earlier, a lot can happen in four years.

That’s why President Trump’s caution at the prospect of naming JD Vance the 2028 nominee 4 years early was probably the wisest move he could have made when confronted with that question.

But things being what they are, and if the future unrolls in a way that doesn’t hand JD Vance an exceptionally unfair hand to play, Tucker Carlson’s prediction is probably the smart bet… if you’re making one to begin with.

And in lieu of ANOTHER Trump Presidency, I can only hope we have a person of the caliber of JD Vance with conviction and the skill to articulate his convictions to nominate as the NEXT America First Presidential nominee.