The ‘midterms’ of the United States, which Donald Trump’s Republican Party has requested, mark the beginning of the pre-campaign for the presidential elections, which will be held in 2028. The United States is preparing for a new stage, not only if the Democrats manage to maintain the results, but the Republicans have to look for a new leader.
Donald Trump cannot run in 2028 because the law in the United States establishes that a president can only serve eight years in office, consecutively or not. The American president will complete that term in two years and, despite exploring the possibility of extending it, he would need to reform the Constitution, something he will no longer be able to do.
In this sense, there are already several names that sound like possible successors to Trump.
J.D. Vance
The current vice president and former senator from Ohio leads polls on possible Republican Party candidates to occupy the White House. Furthermore, it is quite common for a vice president to rise to president. Asked about this possibility, he indicated that he hopes to obtain Trump’s endorsement if he decides to take the step.
Vance is a man closely linked to the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement and has tried to disassociate himself from the Iran war, very unpopular among the party’s bases, thus creating his own profile.
Marco Rubio
The current Secretary of State, the first Latino to hold the position and a prominent figure in the Republican establishment, contested the race for the White House against Trump in 2016. After being defeated, he joined the Trump movement.
Since taking office, he has gained popularity. He is in charge of transition negotiations in Venezuela after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and is pushing for regime change in Cuba.
Donald Trump himself, asked who his successor could be, said that Rubio and Vance form “an ideal team.” “Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?” Trump asked before commenting that the pair of names “sounds like a good formula.”
Ron DeSantis
The governor of Florida is another possible name. He has held this position since 2019 and is one of the most prominent figures in current conservatism. He was a federal representative for this state between 2013 and 2018 and since 2019 as governor he has stood out for his conservative proposals in education, immigration or public security.
In 2023 he launched a Republican presidential candidacy, but suspended it in January 2024 after finishing second in the Iowa caucuses and supported Donald Trump. He trained at Yale University and obtained his law degree from Harvard Law School. He served as a JAG officer in the U.S. Navy, including a deployment to Iraq, and was a federal prosecutor before entering politics.
Donald Trump Jr.
Although he lacks experience in political office, Donald Trump’s eldest son appears in third place in some polls. Due to his closeness with his father in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 campaigns, where he has acted as a speaker at rallies, a fundraiser or a political commentator, he has risen as one of the possible options.
