COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Trump Is Secretly Pitting Vance and Rubio Against Each Other

The president has also been asking for performance reviews of his second-in-command.

Donald Trump has been asking friends and advisers how they would compare JD Vance and Marco Rubio, both potential contenders for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination.

That news, which CNN reported Thursday, comes as Vance, 41, was omitted from Time magazine’s list of the most influential people of 2026. Rubio, on the other hand, was listed as someone who could “possibly inherit the Trumpist movement in 2028.”

Trump, according to CNN, has also asked people close to him to rank Vance’s performance in trying to negotiate an end to the Iran war, a conflict which he initially opposed. After a 10-day ceasefire was announced last week, Vance traveled to Pakistan but came back without an agreement.

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Sources familiar with Trump’s talks told the outlet that the 79-year-old president appears to still have confidence in Vance’s role as a top negotiator. Also involved are Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

When reached for comment, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told the Daily Beast: “Vice President Vance continues to show why President Trump has tapped him to lead the Iran negotiations along with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. His ability to take on some of the biggest challenges head-on makes him an invaluable member of the Administration full of top performers.”

Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast, nor did the State Department.

Vance has also involved himself in the dispute between the president and the pope over the Iran war, going so far as to tell the leader of the world’s Catholics: “I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”

HOLIER THAN THOU

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Some have argued that Vance’s spotlight roles of late have only harmed his chances of winning the 2028 nomination, with Rubio benefiting.

Edward Luce, Financial Times’ U.S. national editor, wrote about the optics of Rubio’s appearance with Trump on Saturday at a UFC event in Miami, while Vance had to announce a failed peace deal in Pakistan.

“Forget that America’s chief diplomat was absent from the most important bilateral talks of Trump’s presidency,” Luce wrote. “The very moment Vance was announcing their collapse, Rubio was socializing with Trump at the ringside of an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout.”

“Trump loves UFC fights; the bloodier the better,” he continued. “Rubio has recently been getting the upper hand in his cage battle with Vance. That is a sharp reversal from how his term began.”

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