JD Vance Not Sure Trump Would Endorse Him in 2028: âI Donât Know, Manâ
Kathryn Wilkens
Oct 19th, 2026, 8:39
Vice President JD Vance admitted he isnât entirely certain President Donald Trump would endorse him if he ran for president in 2028, exclaiming, âI donât know, man.â
Vance sat down with journalist Mark Halperin for an interview on Monday, which aired on his 2WAY platform.
The journalist first referenced recent remarks from the vice president, in which he insisted that âwhoever the president endorses for the Republican nomination will ultimately win the Republican primary.â
âI thought, âWell, donât the voters get a say in this?'â Halperin noted.
Vance agreed, explaining, though, that he thinks the president gained the deep trust of his base when the partyâs âelitesâ were against him.
âThatâs the person they say, âOkay, if Trump is with a guy, that must mean that the elites are against that guy,â the vice president continued. âI think that Trumpâs endorsement just carries more weight than any political endorsement in history because of that. Obviously, the voters are gonna decide. Donald Trump is only one vote of many, but I think his endorsement is still the most powerful.â
Halperin went on to reference a recent panel he conducted in which he asked about a potential Vance presidential bid and whether Trump would endorse him. While all four panelists believed the vice president was almost certain to run, they also predicted Trump would withhold his endorsement for some time to âtoy withâ his vice president.
Emphasizing that he remains focused on the upcoming midterms and unsure about 2028, Vance added, âI think if I run, the president will endorse me.â
âRight away?â Halperin followed up.
âI would think so, but I donât know, man,â the vice president acknowledged. âI havenât talked to him about it.â
âItâd be kinda weird if you said to him, âMr. President, Iâm gonna run,â and he said, âYeah, let me think about it,'â the journalist pointed out.
âNo, I donât think itâd be weird,â Vance pushed back. âAgain, I think I would get his endorsement, but I also think thereâs something to be said for people actually running their own race, and because the presidentâs endorsement is so dispositive, you could absolutely see a scenario where the president says, âYou know what? We need to let, like, this race play out and not, like, preemptively prejudge the results.'â
âYou might be horrible at it,â remarked Halperin.
âI might be terrible at it,â agreed the vice president. âSo, I donât know. Again, having never spoken to the president about this, I canât speak to his psychology on it, but my attitude is that if I run, I think the president would endorse me, but I also havenât talked to him about it yet.â
https://www.mediaite.com/politics/jd-vance-not-sure-trump-would-endorse-him-in-2028-i-dont-know-man/
2WAY TONIGHT | Mark Halperin on Trumpâs Second Term, the Democrats and the Latest Political News
2WAY TONIGHT with Mark Halperin. Every weekday evening Mark and our special guests discuss President Trump's second term, Democrat realignment & the dayâs political news. They also take live questions from our Zoom participants.
59:25
https://www.youtu.be/9zyNLAI9qu0?si=zUTUWhTrIhJj930t
https://www.mediaite.com/politics/jd-vance-not-sure-trump-would-endorse-him-in-2028-i-dont-know-man/