President Trump raised eyebrows in an interview that aired Monday after he declined to name Vice President Vance as his automatic successor ahead of the 2028 presidential election.

“No, but he is very capable,” Trump told fox News’ Bret Baier when asked if he viewed Vance as his 2028 successor.

“I think you have a lot of very capable people,” the president said. “So far I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early. We’re just starting.”

Trump is term-limited in 2028, having already served a non-consecutive term as president. While the next presidential contest is four years away, Trump will likely be expected to make an endorsement shortly after the midterms next year.

Here are seven potential Republican successors to Trump.

JD Vance

While Trump hesitated to call Vance his natural successor, the vice president is widely seen as a future leader of the MAGA movement. Vance has also played a key role as Trump’s liaison to the Senate during his Cabinet’s confirmation hearings, drawing on his past relationships and experience as senator from Ohio.

Additionally, Trump has tasked his vice president with a number of key initiatives including overseeing a potential future TikTok deal and hurricane recovery efforts. This week, Vance is on the global stage, representing the U.S. at an artificial intelligence summit in Paris and at the Munich Security Conference.

Vance, 40, is seen as one of the younger faces among the GOP’s leadership. The vice president saw his profile rise with the publication of his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” in 2016, which coincided with Trump’s entrance onto the political scene. While Vance was initially a vocal critic of Trump, he spoke about his own experiences growing up in Appalachia in explaining Trump’s growing support among white working class and rural Americans.

Vance gradually became more supportive of Trump in the lead-up to his run for Senate in Ohio, where he defeated Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) by six points. The then-senator was arguably one of Trump’s most vocal supporters during his time in the legislative body.

Marco Rubio

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also been floated as a potential successor to Trump, given his breadth of political and policy experience and broad appeal.

Rubio, 53, began his political career in Florida’s House of Representatives, rising to become Speaker of the chamber before running for U.S. Senate. During his tenure on Capitol Hill, Rubio served as ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Rubio notably had one of the smoothest confirmation processes in the second Trump administration, with........

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