In recent months, President Trump has repeatedly dodged questions about who he would like to see succeed him when he leaves the White House in January 2029.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a mystery, but that now appears to be solved, if a Friday report is to be believed.<\/p>\n
Trump had been waffling back and forth between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom he believes would make a great GOP nominee and president.<\/p>\n
According to MS NOW, Trump appears to have settled on Vance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s become, \u2018JD\u2019s our guy, we gotta help JD,\u2019\u201d said one of several sources who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
Another source told the outlet that Trump has been saying lately that Vance has been looking great.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of that,\u201d the person added.<\/p>\n
People familiar with President Trump\u2019s thinking pointed to a key turning point: Vance\u2019s media tour promoting his memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, which chronicles his 2019 conversion to Catholicism.<\/p>\n
The tour included appearances across a wide range of media outlets.<\/p>\n
On ABC\u2019s The View, Vance received a notably cordial reception, with co-host Ana Navarro jokingly asking Joy Behar why she appeared to be \u201cso in love with\u201d him.<\/p>\n
He also appeared on HBO\u2019s Real Time with Bill Maher, where Maher later said he would be open to supporting Vance in the 2028 presidential election.<\/p>\n
Vance also made multiple appearances on Fox News, the president\u2019s preferred cable network, and joined Megyn Kelly\u2019s podcast, where he described the internal MAGA disagreements over the Iran conflict as \u201cvery immature.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to those familiar with the matter, Vance\u2019s ability to effectively communicate the administration\u2019s message across both friendly and skeptical media platforms during that stretch of interviews made a strong impression on Trump, MS NOW said.<\/p>\n
According to two people familiar with the matter, Trump has also privately complimented Vance on his recent weight loss.<\/p>\n
At an event in Michigan last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he and Vance were among several administration officials following a sauerkraut-focused diet developed by physician Dr. Sean O\u2019Mara, according to The Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n
Trump is widely known for frequently reassessing those within his inner circle, and his views can change over time.<\/p>\n
One person familiar with the matter said the president was disappointed by the collapse earlier this month of a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding that Vance had helped negotiate alongside Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.<\/p>\n
The same source also said that some senior White House officials have grown frustrated with what one official described as Vance\u2019s team\u2019s intense focus on online commentary about the vice president and the administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeam Vance is extremely self-conscious about what people are saying about him \u2014 both here and just randos online \u2014 almost to a fault,\u201d one White House official\u00a0told MS NOW.<\/p>\n
Olivia Wales, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement to *MS NOW* that Vice President JD Vance is President Trump\u2019s \u201cright-hand man\u201d and \u201can invaluable member\u201d of his national security team.<\/p>\n
She said the president\u2019s confidence in Vance is reflected in the significant responsibilities he has been assigned, including helping lead negotiations with Iran, chairing the White House\u2019s anti-fraud task force, and working to advance the SAVE America Act.<\/p>\n
Whether Trump ever seriously considered choosing between Vance and Rubio as a preferred successor remains a matter of debate.<\/p>\n
Allies of both men have maintained that any perceived rivalry has been overstated, arguing that Trump has long favored fostering competition among potential successors rather than publicly elevating a single heir apparent.<\/p>\n
Also, Rubio has said publicly that he would never seek the GOP nomination if Vance said he wanted it, while Vance has called Rubio one of his best friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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