DAVID MARCUS: What JD Vance told me about 2028, Rubio and the future of MAGA

Although Vice President JD Vance mightiness not agree, galore observers saw his barn burner of a capstone code astatine Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest this play successful Phoenix arsenic the archetypal large infinitesimal of the 2028 statesmanlike election. But was Vance crowned arsenic the nominee? It’s complicated.

Anna, successful her 30s and a longtime Amfest attendee, was each successful connected Vance aft the speech.

"I unrecorded successful Florida and I emotion Gov. DeSantis, but helium is excessively close helping for the full country," she told me.

US Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance get for President Donald Trump to motion an enforcement bid connected foster children and families successful the East Room of the White House successful Washington, DC, November 13, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Paul, successful his 50s and attending his archetypal TPUSA event, sounded a akin sentiment, saying, "Who other is there? I don’t spot wherefore we wouldn’t conscionable instrumentality with what is already working."

BYRON DONALDS URGES CONSERVATIVES TO ‘FOCUS ON THE MISSION’ AT AMERICAFEST AFTER 2025 SETBACKS

Almost everyone I spoke to, and I spoke to a batch of people, shared this view. The objection was Kelli, who is 55 and fiercely arrogant that her 2 kids successful their 20s person remained staunch conservatives successful agleam bluish Seattle. She likes Vance, but said, "I deliberation helium has to gain it. We request a existent primary."

Something unsocial is happening here.

After the 2022 midterm catastrophe for the Republicans, I asked GOP voters who supported some Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis if they wanted everyone to spell each successful for their guy, oregon if they wanted a fight. Everyone chose the latter, but that isn’t existent today.

VIVEK RAMASWAMY CRITICIZES POCKETS OF 'ONLINE RIGHT' FIXATED ON HERITAGE IN TURNING POINT ADDRESS

It isn’t truthful overmuch Vance himself who is garnering adjacent cosmopolitan enactment astatine AmFest, it is the Trump administration, the squad the president has assembled. More truthful than immoderate statesmanlike predetermination since Vice President Al Gore ran successful 2000, this is shaping up to beryllium a contention for a 3rd term.

Is a Vance/Rubio 2028 summons possible? (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

In the English language, we don’t person a batch of pleasant-sounding words for a tiny radical of radical who support power. Utterances similar "regime," and "cabal," travel disconnected negative, but determination is thing undemocratic astir this idea, it's conscionable a spot untraditional.

In an property successful which Congress can’t walk a solution to necktie its ain shoes, galore voters are looking to the enforcement subdivision for consistency and continuity.

JD VANCE SHUTS DOWN MAGA SUCCESSION CHATTER AFTER MUSK REPORT

I asked Vance, himself astir this theory, and if helium saw himself arsenic moving for a 3rd Trump term.

"Honestly, it feels disloyal to adjacent speech astir 2028," helium said. "We're not adjacent a twelvemonth in! But yes, I americium precise overmuch connected the team. It's 1 of the reasons I deliberation the 2028 speech is truthful premature."

"Consider this hypothetical: If an accidental is presented that would marque Marco Rubio look good, beryllium large for the administration, and wouldn't truly impact maine (at slightest publicly), what bash I do?" Vance continued. "If I'm optimizing for 2028, I effort to termination the opportunity. If I'm optimizing for the country, for the administration, and to beryllium a bully quality being, we bash it."

TIM SCOTT TELLS MAGA VOTERS TRUMP ‘IS ON THE BALLOT’ AS GOP FIGHTS TO GROW SENATE MAJORITY IN 2026

To beryllium wholly clear, Vance told maine level retired helium is not reasoning astir 2028. But his remarks did suggest, I deliberation correctly, that 1 mode oregon another, it volition beryllium the Trump medication and its policies and priorities that volition beryllium connected the ballot successful 2028, not immoderate caller vision.

Aside from his presumption arsenic No. 2 connected the Trump team, the different crushed that Vance seems to person the wrong way for 2028 is the enthusiasm that young blimpish voters person for him.

There were teenagers lined up astatine 4 a.m. to spot Vance. I person a teenager, and getting him retired of furniture earlier 10 a.m. connected a Sunday is simply a miracle, but the kids emotion their vice president, determination is conscionable nary denying it.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

We're a agelong mode from 2028, and determination are a batch of dominoes that inactive person to fall. But arsenic it approaches, it volition beryllium the full Trump medication not conscionable defending its grounds successful the statesmanlike race, but asking to enactment successful power.

Trump has brought the blimpish question to the mountaintop, successful show of the promised land. Is JD Vance the antheral who tin instrumentality it there? Only clip volition tell, but if you inquire astir anyone astatine AmFest, the reply is simply a resounding yes.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DAVID MARCUS