Vice President JD Vance addressed widespread speculation he will run for president in the 2028 election cycle during a town hall released on Saturday night.
While speaking with Tony Dokoupil of CBS News in Michigan, Vance was asked whether there’s a chance he won’t run for president in 2028. He has long been floated as a likely heir to President Donald Trump’s political life alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, though neither has publicly committed to running.
“Of course there’s a chance,” he said. “Yeah, man, we’ve got four little kids. My wife has never loved politics, she loves public service. I think you can do a lot of good in this job, and I’ve tried to do as much good as possible. But, I really, people ask me this question all the time, and I think they assume because I’m a politician, ‘of course he’s going to run for president in 2028.’ The way that I think about big life decisions, my wife will tell you this, is I’m a procrastinator. I hate thinking about it. And what will happen is, that, first of all, after all these fine people elect Mike Rogers United States Senator for the state of Michigan, what’s going to happen is then I’ll have to think about. And then I will actually have to make a decision. But, you know, anything can happen, man, anything.”
Vance’s name is on a lengthy list of potential 2028 contenders, including Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Vance would likely benefit from having served as the executive branch’s second-ranking official for four years if he runs, but would be inherently tied to Trump’s waning popularity and to how his exit from office toward the end of the decade plays out.
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The town hall was held in Monroe, a small city near Detroit. Vance also fielded questions about data center development, allegations of corruption within the White House, and high domestic gas prices, both from Dokoupil and members of the audience.
“I fundamentally trust the judgment of the American people,” he said when asked if he believes Republicans will retain control of the Senate in November’s midterm elections. He also acknowledged the conflict in Iran’s impact on domestic energy prices, saying, “I will be the first one to tell you gas prices are too high,” but that “in some ways, we have won decisively.” He also said the United States’s military has destroyed the “Iranian nuclear program,” and the White House is now working toward securing a deal that ensures Iran doesn’t rebuild their nuclear arsenal and finding a long-term solution to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.