WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he may stay out of the 2028 Republican Party presidential primary and not endorse anyone to be his GOP successor.
"Probably, not necessarily," Trump said in a Nov. 8 interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" when asked whether he will endorse in the primary to pick the next Republican nominee.
It's long been widely assumed that Trump would try to anoint who replaces him as the 2028 Republican standard-bearer through an endorsement among a field of candidates expected to include Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. But Trump suggested that may not be the case.
"We have a tremendous bench. I have so many people that I have great
relationships with," Trump said, pointing to Rubio as being "great" in addition to Vance. "But there are many others, and I'd rather not mention their names. There's some senators that are excellent. I know them all. I like them a lot."
"So I may or may not get involved," Trump said. "Maybe I'm better off not getting involved."
Trump was asked in the interview, conducted by "60 Minutes" correspondent Ross Douthat, whether MAGA will survive without him as president.
"I think so, because MAGA is basically common sense," Trump said. "You know, MAGA is strong borders, good military. We have created wealth at a level that our country has never seen before, including for yourself."
Other potential Republican contenders in 2028 include Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, both of whom have strongly signaled their intentions to get in the race.
A recent New York Times/Sienna University poll found Vance is the top choice of 33% of Republican voters, followed by Rubio at 23% and DeSantis at 3%. Trump, who is prohibited by the Constitution from seeking a third term, received support from 8%.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he may not endorse in 2028 Republican primary
