President Donald Trump said Vice President JD Vance is “most likely” his heir-apparent but stressed it’s too early to make that call. At a White House event Tuesday, Trump responded to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments that Vance “would be a great nominee,” saying, “He’s the vice president… Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form.”

Trump added there are “incredible people” who could also carry on his movement. Earlier on CNBC, Trump, 79, said he would “probably not” seek a third term, which is constitutionally barred. Still, he maintains a firm grip on the GOP and has floated both Vance and Rubio—once critics, now loyalists—as possible successors for 2028.

Vance, a former Ohio senator who rose with Trump’s populist message, became his running mate in 2024 after Trump broke with his first vice president, Mike Pence, over the 2020 election certification.