On Wednesday, rumors surfaced that President Trump told a large group of influential Republican donors that they must back Vice President J.D. Vance as the next President of the United States.
The rumors were covered by numerous outlets and were “confirmed” by Fox News.
However, President Trump has poured some ice water on the rumors and denied ever telling donors they should back Vance.
Trump denied the report while taking questions in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
The Hill provided full details on Trump’s response:
President Trump pushed back on a report Thursday that said he told donors that they needed to get Vice President Vance elected in the 2028 election.
“I heard about it a little while ago,” Trump said of the Washington Post report. “I think he’s great, but we’re way too early to even be thinking about that.”
The Post reported Thursday that Trump reportedly told donors in the Oval Office roughly two weeks ago that, “At the end of the day, we need to elect JD.”
Other sources told the Post they are not convinced Trump has settled on Vance and that his mind could still be changed.
The White House referred The Hill to Trump’s comments in the Oval Office. Vance’s team did not respond to a request for comments.
Watch Trump’s full response here:
Trump denied reports that he told donors he wanted them to get Vance elected in 2028: "No, no… we’re way too early to even be thinking about that.”
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Fox News provided the latest Republican Presidential primary polls:
A new poll from New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first Republican presidential primary, is the latest to indicate that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is gaining ground in a hypothetical 2028 GOP nomination matchup with Vice President JD Vance.
ADVERTISEMENTVance stands at 36% support among likely GOP primary voters in New Hampshire, with Rubio at 26%, according to a University of New Hampshire (UNH) Granite State Poll released this week.
That’s a massive shift from the previous UNH 2028 presidential nomination survey, conducted in February, which indicated Vance topping Rubio 53% to 7%.
Vance has long been viewed as the heir apparent to term-limited President Donald Trump and his MAGA and America First base.
While Vance remains the clear hypothetical frontrunner, Rubio has narrowed the gap in national polls and surveys conducted in key early-voting presidential primary states ahead of a race that is not expected to begin in earnest until after this autumn’s midterm elections.
Rubio’s rise in the 2028 polls this year comes amid an increase in his responsibilities and public profile, including his role in the U.S. operation in Venezuela and the ongoing war against Iran.
Rubio, who as a senator from Florida was one of more than a dozen Republican contenders who ran and lost to Trump in the tumultuous 2016 presidential primary, came in a close second to Vance earlier this year in the closely watched 2028 Republican presidential nomination straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which is better known by its acronym CPAC.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who ran for the nomination in 2016 and is mulling another bid, stood a distant third at 8% in the new UNH survey, along with former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was the runner-up to Trump in 2024.
Who are you planning on throwing your support behind in 2028?
Rubio or Vance?
Or maybe a dark horse candidate?
Let us know your thoughts below!
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