President Donald Trump gave a stunning and frank response when asked if he saw Vice President J.D. Vance as his political successor.

‘No,’ the 78-year-old Republican said to the question, posed by Fox News’ Bret Baier
during a Super Bowl interview.

Trump was asked if he viewed Vance as his political successor, and whether he expected Vance to be the 2028 Republican nominee. 

After answering in the negative, Trump added, ‘But he’s very capable.’ 

‘I mean, I don’t think that it, you know, I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far, I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early,’ the president said. 

‘We’re just – starting,’ Trump added. 

Vance was added to the ticket in July after Trump had a falling out with his original running mate, former Vice President Mike Pence, over the 2020 election and the January 6th Capitol attack. 

Pence briefly ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican primary, but pulled out even before the January 2024 Iowa caucuses, due to low poll numbers and little interest.  

President Donald Trump was asked by Fox News’ Bret Baier during his Super Bowl interview whether he viewed Vice President J.D. Vance as his political successor 

Vice President J.D. Vance is captured arriving at a reception at the Palais de l’Élysée Monday night in Paris, France 

Baier pointed out that by the midterms in 2026, Vance would be looking for an endorsement from Trump. 

‘Yeah, a lot of people have said that this has been the greatest opening, almost three weeks, in the history of the presidency,’ Trump said, not answering the question. 

‘Well, we’ve done so much, so fast,’ the president continued. ‘And we really had to cause they have really, what they’ve done to our country is so sad. It’s so sad. We’re going to be bigger, better and stronger than ever before.’ 

If the 40-year-old Vance decides to run in 2028, he could announce as early as November 2026 – with Trump setting that precedent. 

During the 2024 cycle, Trump announced his third presidential campaign just a week after the midterms concluded – on November 15, 2022. 

Republicans had underperformed in those midterms – with Democrats narrowly losing the House in what was supposed to be a ‘red wave.’ 

But Trump jumped in the presidential race historically early anyway. 

Trump is bound to only serve two terms by the U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment. 

Fox News’ Bret Baier (right) pointed out to President Donald Trump (left) that by the 2026 midterms Vice President J.D. Vance would likely expect an endorsement if he wanted to run for president in 2028 

But he has brought up the idea of serving a third term frequently since being sworn-in again on January 20th. 

‘I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you do something,’ he told a meeting of House Republicans. ‘Unless you say, “He’s so good, we have to just figure it out.”‘

Tennessee GOP Rep. Andy Ogles introduced a bill that would change the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to allow a third Trump term but the bar for success is incredibly high. 

Ogles’ Amendment would allow Trump to serve a third term because his first two terms were non-consecutive. 

It wouldn’t allow, for instance, former President Barack Obama, who at age 63 is younger than Trump, because Obama served two consecutive terms.