Despite repeatedly joking about running for a third term in office, the president said on Tuesday that Vance is his “most likely” successor. Vance has been floated as a potential contender for the 2028 presidential election as numerous recent polls list him as the clear frontrunner in the GOP field.

“I also think we have incredible people, some of the people on the stage right here,” Trump said Tuesday, while he stood near Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi, among others. “So it’s too early, obviously, to talk about it, but certainly he’s doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point.”

President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that Vice President JD Vance is “most likely” the heir apparent to the Make America Great Again movement, the furthest he’s gone in backing Vance as a future presidential candidate.