Trump talks up JD Vance, Marco Rubio as 2028 election battle looms

I hate that I’m writing about 2028. You probably hate it even more.

But there is a rhythm to off-year elections and it goes like this:

New Jersey (very blue) and Virginia (bluish) are of great interest.

TRUMP LOOKS BIG IN MAJOR 2025 ELECTION DAY CONTESTS DESPITE NOT BEING IN THE VOTES COUNT

President Donald Trump makes the news every day, sometimes multiple times a day, but he’s been MIA in terms of campaigning himself, deciding this thing stinks and he doesn’t want the stench associated with it.

Let’s face it. Unless you live across the Potomac in Virginia or near Norfolk or Newport News, did you have any idea who was running for governor? (Abigail Spanberger.)

Here’s the irony. They get all this news because everyone loves horse racing. But in six months, only two or three national reporters will return to see how they’re doing. Campaigning is exciting, managing is boring. I used to follow state and local officials, so I know what I’m talking about.

By the way, Virginia has a stupid one-term “and you’re out” rule. If people think Republican Glenn Youngkin is doing a good job running the state, why shouldn’t they have a chance to vote for him again? It doesn’t make any sense.

Despite not being in the race, Trump (who endorsed Andrew Cuomo at the last minute) is the issue in every race; Who can stand up to him, who can blame him for rising prices, a government shutdown, and the destruction of the East Wing?

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This seems like the perfect storm for Democrats, and the President has made no attempt to meet with them, assuming Chuck Schumer and his team would give up long before that. Instead, they broadcast a message about rising Obamacare premiums, which Trump criticized but did not recommend his own health care plan in either term.

Next up are the midterms, where I expect the president will do his best. The GOP has avoided some of the crazy candidates of the past (like Christine O’Donnell, who said homosexuals had a psychological disorder, lied about her past, and later said “I was involved in witchcraft”).

Given Republicans’ razor-thin margin, Democrats have a chance to take control of the House of Representatives, which would fundamentally change Trump’s last two years. They have almost no chance in the Senate.

Which brings us back to 2028. (I know, I know.) Even if Trump still controls everything, the day after the midterms is a lame duck. Of course, it will still dominate the news.

With approximately 10 months remaining in President Donald Trump’s second term, voters in states such as Virginia, New York and California will go to the polls on Tuesday, November 4. Meanwhile, the president uses social media before the competitions. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Lately, Trump has been talking about his powerful bench, mentioning Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This negates the assumption that the vice president would be his natural heir. They are said to be friends, but Rubio, who currently holds about nine jobs, has much more government experience and foreign policy expertise, though he had to give up some of his previous positions to please his boss. I suspect Trump, who I’ve been saying for months that he won’t run again, will choose his ticket order.

Two months after the midterm elections, the fight for the Democratic nomination begins. It could be California Governor Gavin Newsom, former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, or AOC, who is more aligned with a party that is increasingly leaning left-wing, and a bunch of governors you’ve never heard of.

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Much depends on whether people will be exhausted by Trump’s chaos by then, not to mention the state of the economy. Moreover, Barack Obama had given an exciting speech at the convention, but who expected him to defeat the Clinton machine and win two terms?

With Vance/Rubio controlling the hierarchy, the heated media focus will shift to the Democratic race. Trump can make news by snapping his fingers; For example, after saying he would restore 50% of the SNAP food program after two judges ruled, he now says he won’t fund the program at all as a way to increase pressure. Most of the 42 million people on SNAP are “largely Democrats,” he said, then quickly added that party doesn’t matter. This is another pressure tactic.

A voter cast his vote at a polling station in Arlington, Virginia, on November 4, 2025. Virginians went to the polls on Election Day to choose their next governor. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

In fact, 25 of the 30 states Trump carried last year are more reliant on food stamps than the national average.

Trump’s interview with CBS’s Norah O’Donnell, now under new management, attracted 13.2 million viewers; this was the highest rating since the days after the Capitol riot.

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This brings us to 2028. That wasn’t that painful, was it?

Was it?