Tucker Carlson said on a podcast Tuesday that he believed the only person in the Republican Party “capable” of expanding and “carrying on Trump’s legacy” in the 2028 presidential election was Vice President JD Vance.
He voiced his opinion on an episode of the Vince podcast with Vince Coglianese, the replacement for former host Dan Bongino. Bongino “officially passed the baton” to Coglianese on March 14 as he stepped into his new role as deputy director of the FBI.
“The only person in the entire Republican Party from my position who’s capable of carrying on the Trump legacy and expanding it, making it what it should fully be, is JD Vance,” Carlson said. “I think his loyalty is without question and his service to Trump has been profound.”
The former Fox News host called Vance a “powerful partner for Trump.” Carlson’s son, Buckley Carlson, also recently landed a “cushy nepo job” in the White House as Vance’s deputy press secretary back in January.
“I don’t see any other—at this point, as of today—any other conceivable option,” Carlson said. “I think JD Vance will be the nominee.”
When asked in an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News whether or not he views Vance as his potential successor, President Donald Trump replied “no, but he’s very capable.”
“I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far I think he’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump adds. “It’s too early, we’re just starting.”
Carlson and Coglianese agreed that Trump was “protecting” Vance through his response, Coglianese adding that Trump might have not wanted “people thinking about the next presidential election.”
In an interview with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation Tuesday, Steve Bannon said that “I’m a firm believer that President Trump will run and win again in 2028.”
Earlier last month, Vance addressed the 2028 presidential elections on an episode of Maria Bartiromo’s Sunday Morning Futures, saying that “we’ll see what happens come 2028.”
“I’m not thinking about running for president,” Vance said. “I’m thinking about doing a good job for the American people and I think the best way to do that is to make sure that President Trump is a success.”
