President Trump has named Vice President JD Vance as his heir apparent while praising a cohort of cabinet members that could propel MAGA into 2028.
The commander-in-chief was inside the South Court Auditorium in the White House on Tuesday to sign an executive order for the creation of the 2028 Olympics Task Force.
The same day, he shared in an interview that he “probably wouldn’t” run for a third term despite joking in the past that he would.
“I’d like to run,” he said when asked about the possibility on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “I have the best poll numbers I’ve ever had.”
His comments came after Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked who would be leading MAGA in the next presidential race.
“This weekend, Secretary of State Rubio said that he thought JD Vance would be a great nominee. You could clear the entire Republican field right now. Do you agree that the heir apparent to MAGA is JD Vance?” Doocy said.
Trump explained that Rubio and Vance could effectively work together as a formidable duo in office.
“Well, I think most likely. In all fairness, he’s the vice president, and I think Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form,” Trump said.
He also suggested that other senior members in his cabinet were capable of the job.
“I also think we have incredible people, some of the people on the stage right here. So it’s too early, obviously, to talk about it, but certainly he’s doing a great job,” he added.
“And he would be probably favored at this point.”
Trump earlier joked on the podium, “I didn’t think I’d be here for the games.”
During the same press conference, another reporter questioned whether the Department of Government Efficiency was planning to make more cuts to the federal government.
“Well, it’s not so much DOGE anymore,” Trump said, off the back of an ongoing feud between the former leader of the spend-cutting department, Elon Musk.
The president drilled down that cuts would continue to be made “with a scalpel as opposed to an axe.”
Despite recent tensions, Musk donated $5 million to Trump’s super PAC in June.
Trump also spoke about a former Department of Government Efficiency employee, Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old better known by his nickname “Big Balls,” who was attacked in Washington, D.C., over the weekend in an apparent attempted carjacking.
