Vice President JD Vance says President Donald Trump enjoys discussing politics and occasionally teases him about the 2028 presidential race, but insists he has no plans to make a decision about his own political future until after the 2026 midterm elections.
In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Vance described Trump as someone who is naturally fascinated by political strategy and future campaigns, even if the conversations are often informal.
“I never bring it up. But sure, the president brings it up a lot of stuff, sometimes publicly, sometimes privately,” Vance said.
“The president’s a political animal. He loves this stuff. He’s fascinated by it,” he continued. “It’s not coy, or it’s not positive or negative. He kind of talks about it like, ‘What’s going to happen?’”
The comments provide a glimpse into the relationship between Trump and his vice president as Republicans increasingly look toward the post-Trump era, even while the administration remains focused on its current agenda.
Vance has consistently downplayed questions about a potential White House bid. Whenever reporters raise the subject, he typically points to the same timeline: no decision until after voters have spoken in the midterm elections.
That has not stopped Trump from publicly fueling speculation.
Vice President JD Vance talks with “Sunday Morning” national correspondent @costareports about family, his conversion to Catholicism and his new book, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.” He also defends the Trump administration’s war with Iran. https://t.co/wiK4EYFVbl pic.twitter.com/F0h7W0Q0he
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) June 14, 2026
At an event last month, the president playfully surveyed the crowd about possible Republican successors.
“Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?” Trump asked.
After hearing reactions from the audience, Trump joked, “All right. Sounds like a good ticket.”
The exchange highlighted the two Republicans most frequently mentioned as potential contenders for the GOP nomination in 2028. Rubio, however, has already attempted to quiet speculation, publicly stating that he would not seek the nomination if Vance decided to run.
Trump himself has not endorsed a successor or offered any strong indication about whom he might support in a future Republican primary.
Vance expressed confidence that whatever decision he ultimately makes, Trump would be supportive.
“I have no doubt that the president of the United States is going to be very supportive of anything that I ultimately decide to do,” Vance said. “But we really just haven’t talked about what that thing will be.”
For now, Vance says his focus remains on his current responsibilities and on his family.
“Usha and I will absolutely sit down and talk about what comes next for our family,” he explained, adding that the conversation will take place after the midterms. “The way I make decisions is, I try not to make them until I absolutely must.”
The interview also touched on Vance’s personal life as he promoted his new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, which is scheduled for release Tuesday.
During the discussion, Second Lady Usha Vance shared a deeply personal story about how the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk influenced conversations within their family about having another child.
According to Usha Vance, the tragedy caused her husband to reflect more seriously on family, faith, and what matters most in life.
“I think it really heightened JD’s sense that he’d been talking about this for a while, this sense that there was this possibility of having another kid whom he could love as much as the three that we had,” she said.
She explained that the experience helped clarify their thinking.
“And it really did crystallize for him, that sense that if you could have that other child, then you would have nothing to regret,” she added. “And if we couldn’t have that other child, then we were very happy with the children that we had.”
