Battenfeld: Vance, Rubio need post-Trump plan – Boston Herald
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JD Vance and Marco Rubio should be plotting careful succession strategies for the post-Donald Trump era, including distancing themselves from the politically wounded President to avoid taking shrapnel from Democrats.
Both the Vice President and Secretary of State are seen as the top 2028 White House Republican contenders but their close association with the Trump administration will make them especially vulnerable to attacks from the opposition party.
Trump has been so weakened by the war and inflation that the backlash could affect Vance and Rubio as well. A new NBC News poll shows Democrats hold a 5-point advantage in the midterms and Trump’s approval rating is at a second term low. Even among rural voters, Trump’s job approval has plummeted, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey.
Democrats, if they are smart, will not only be planning on ousting Trump but launching offensives against Vance and Rubio over the next two years to disable them.
Vance and Rubio will need to walk a fine line between being loyal to Trump and tapping into MAGA but also protecting their own political futures. Vance has already started doing that, taking steps to avoid talking about the Iran war.
One of the big questions looming over the pair will be if the 80-year-old Trump looks for an early exit, whether because of impeachment or a calculated decision by the president to find a graceful way out to give Republicans a better chance at holding on to the White House.
If there’s a blue wave this November, Democrats are likely to try and paralyze the White House and immediately launch proceedings to remove Trump from office, and if they’re successful it will give Vance an early start.
Will Vance and Rubio unite to give Republicans a better chance in 2028 or have internal strife, leading to a protracted struggle for the future of the party?
Vance and Rubio would give Republicans the best chance at keeping the White House if they work things out privately to decide who will be the standard bearer in 2028. There are bound to be other Republicans looking to be the nominee as well, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but the eventual nominee will have to get the stamp of approval from MAGA loyalists.
Trump has suggested that Vance and Rubio run as the ticket, without specifying who should be at the top. A number of Republican leaders have suggested privately that Rubio might be a stronger contender.
The latest polling shows both Vance and Rubio running close, with Vance on top. Rubio is more closely linked to the Republican establishment and could better draw moderate voters but Vance has an inside track as vice president.
“They’re both great. I like them both,” Trump said. “And I like them together…And I think the two of them running together as a team would be very unbeatable.”
Vance has said he has to discuss running for president with his wife, Usha, later this year after the election.
“I’m not a potential future candidate,” Vance, 41, said back in May. “I’m a Vice President, and I really like my job.”
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