Vance and Rubio emerge as early contenders to inherit Trump’s Republican Party

AdvertisementUnited StatesUSPoliticsVance and Rubio emerge as early contenders to inherit Trump’s Republican Party

Analysts say the American vice-president and secretary of state are trying to prove loyalty without becoming political liabilities

6-MIN READ6-MIN6 Listen

Mark Magnierin New YorkPublished: 10:00pm, 23 May 2026Updated: 10:03pm, 23 May 2026

An early glimpse of the battle to succeed US President Donald Trump atop the Republican ticket played out last week in classic Trumpian fashion when Vice-President J.D. Vance was temporarily demoted to play press secretary.

His hour-long spell fielding questions from the White House “lion’s den” press corps included statements chiding the media and the obligatory denial for ambitious politicians.

“This is crazy. You guys have got to behave yourself,” he told reporters, before adding: “I’m not a future candidate, I’m a vice-president. And I really like my job.”

AdvertisementVance’s turn at the podium on Tuesday followed a similar appearance two weeks earlier by Vance’s expected presidential rival, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.Interest in the horse-race has taken on salience in China after Rubio made his first-ever visit to Beijing alongside Trump despite being twice sanctioned in 2020 for his record as a China hawk and critic of human rights in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet as a senator, allegations that Beijing denies.Advertisement

The early reviews in the press secretary beauty contest appeared to favour Rubio, who joked, jousted and quoted hip-hop lyrics with reporters while most of Vance’s attempts at humour fell flat.

AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x