Trump addresses 2028 presidential election and JD Vance’s chances of running

President Donald Trump has been asked about the 2028 presidential race in the wake of the midterm elections, in which Republicans suffered significant losses.

C-Span asked him at the White House on 4th November, asking whether he had spoken to Vice President JD Vance about a possible 2028 run.

Trump's reply raised the possibility that Vance may not run at all.

"I speak to him about a lot of things, but I mean, we'll see what happens," Trump said. "Everybody, you don't know who's talking about running. You can have people running. You can have a lot of people, maybe a lot of people running, maybe nobody's gonna run... Maybe he won't run, I don't know who's gonna run."

The remarks came only hours after Vance published a lengthy statement on X, attributing the Republican midterm defeat to public dissatisfaction with the war in Iran.

Vance himself acknowledged ahead of the midterms that he might sit out the race. "Of course there's a chance," he said, according to TNND. In an interview aboard Air Force Two with 2WAY's Mark Halperin, he added: "I really have not made up my mind about what to do in 2028."

Did Trump agree with JD Vance's view on the midterm losses?

Trump did address the substance of the vice president's statement, though.

He acknowledged that Vance's analysis of the losses had merit. "I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit, short term..." he said.

Vance had repeatedly said in the run-up to the midterms that his focus was on those elections rather than his own plans for 2028. He has indicated he would likely start seriously weighing a campaign once the midterms were over, according to Israel National News.

Both men had been campaigning for Republican candidates across the country in the weeks leading up to the midterms, and the topic had already come up before voters went to the polls.

On 20 October, reporters in the Oval Office asked Trump whether he would endorse Vance in 2028, following that interview, in which the vice president said: "Look, I think if I run, the president will endorse me, sure." He also noted that he had not raised the subject with the president: "But I also haven't talked to him about it."

Has Trump endorsed JD Vance for the 2028 election?

Trump's reply in the Oval Office came down to timing.

He said it was far too early to commit, according to PBS NewsHour, and added: "I don't think we've ever talked about it. You know, who would believe that?"

Trump was complimentary about his vice president, describing Vance as 'a very talented person' and 'a very good person', while insisting the immediate priority had to remain on the 2026 midterms.

Trump has repeatedly encouraged competition between Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the 2028 Republican nomination. He has previously described Vance as his 'most likely' successor, though he has stopped short of formally naming a preferred candidate for 2028.