President Trump Refuses to Name JD Vance as His Successor While in the Same Room as Him

President Donald Trump isn’t yet giving anyone his stamp of approval to be his successor.

In an interview with Fortune published on Monday, May 18, the commander-in-chief, 79, was asked who he sees carrying on his “political legacy,” seemingly looking ahead to the Republican presidential candidate for 2028: Donald Trump Jr., JD Vance, or Marco Rubio.

“Whoever gets this [job] is going to be very important,” the billionaire responded. “And if you get the wrong person: disaster.”

According to the Daily Beast, Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell shared that Vance, 41, “quietly slipped into the back of the room” in the Oval Office, where the interview was after the question was posed, and could hear the president’s reply.

Additionally, Fortune noted when the Apprentice alum was “Asked how the investment deals, diplomatic leverage, and corporate commitments he has championed could endure beyond his presidency, Trump acknowledged the model may not be transferable.”

“Can’t answer that question,” he told the outlet. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s not going to happen again.”

As Globe previously reported, in the Thursday, April 30, edition of Rob Shuter‘s Naughty But Nice Substack, a source shared that Vance and Rubio, 54, “are absolutely rivals,” and insiders revealed that at a recent donor gathering at Mar-a-Lago, Donald asked who people saw as the future head of the Republican Party.

“The room erupted for Rubio. People were openly cheering his name,” another source told Shuter. “JD saw it, and JD clocked it. He pays very close attention to who is getting Trump’s attention — and who is not.”

Meanwhile, an additional insider told Shuter Donald, “knows competition keeps everyone sharp, loyal, and desperate to impress him.”