JD Vance Says He May Not Run For President In 2028

Vice President JD Vance said there’s “of course” a chance he won’t run for president in 2028, pointing to his four young children and his wife’s feelings about politics. Vance said he plans to make a decision after the midterm elections. pic.twitter.com/O9bho2LPl0

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 18, 2026

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Vance indicated that he plans to give the question more serious consideration after the November midterm elections, rather than commit to a campaign while the Trump administration is still navigating its current agenda.

His comments come as the vice president is widely viewed as an early frontrunner to succeed Trump, who has described Vance as his “most likely” Republican successor.

The RealClear Polling average gives him a 15-point advantage over Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Republican primary, with 39% support more than two years out from the 2028 election. President Trump’s son, Donald Jr., is third with 11% support.

But the prospect of another presidential campaign would mean an even bigger role in politics for second lady Usha Vance, who has previously acknowledged that she and her husband do not always agree on political issues.

In a March interview with NBC News, Usha said she sometimes holds views that do not fit neatly within traditional political camps.

“Sometimes I have thoughts that fit very comfortably into one side or another,” she said. “Sometimes I have views that are way more idiosyncratic.”

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Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed still holds a narrow lead over former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race.

More At Rasmussen Reports:https://t.co/LPIPs0jx8A pic.twitter.com/Gy8ujF7wz2

— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) October 18, 2026

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Keshon Wheatley, a barber from Detroit, told Vance that he voted for Mr. Trump in 2020 and 2024, in large part because he gave the president credit for low gas prices during his first term. Now, gas prices are far higher — and he said he plans to vote for Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, not Republican Mike Rogers.

Vance pointed to Iran’s attacks on oil tankers.

“We’ve never had a situation like this, where you have effectively the largest state sponsor of terrorism that’s trying to completely choke off world energy supply,” the vice president said, arguing that “if we just … left, and we let the Iranians control shipping out of the Strait of Hormuz, what that would mean is you would pay a lot more for gasoline.”

Asked how long it will take for prices to ease, Vance said, “When this conflict is over, we are going to see gas prices come down.” He said oil is still being exported from the Middle East because of efforts by the U.S. military to allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

On the competitive Michigan Senate race, he argued El-Sayed — a frequent critic of the Iran war — has not offered a solution to the problem, and gave Rogers credit for calling for the war to end. “He’s been remarkably independent about this,” Vance said of Rogers.

Dokoupil asked Vance why the U.S. hasn’t decisively won the Iran war, which has dragged on for longer than Mr. Trump initially expected.

Vance argued that “in some ways we have won decisively,” but “the enemy gets a vote here.”

The vice president — who participated in negotiations with Iran over the summer — defended the president’s Iran strategy, and said the Trump administration is looking for a “final firm commitment from the Iranians that they’re not going to rebuild their nuclear program.”

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