JD Vance says there’s a ‘chance’ he’ll run for president in 2028
WASHINGTON, DC: The 2028 presidential race may still be two years away, but the question of who will inherit Donald Trump’s MAGA movement is already circulating in Washington corridors.
And JD Vance, Trump’s vice president and one of the Republican Party’s most closely watched figures, has left the door to a White House bid ajar.
The 42-year-old Vice President stopped short of confirming a 2028 White House run but acknowledged that there is ‘a chance’.
JD Vance says he ‘hates thinking about’ presidential run
The Vice President sat down for a town hall hosted by CBS News on Saturday, October 17, where he faced tough questions from voters about the Trump administration’s policies on data centers, high costs, immigration, and his own rhetoric.
One of the tough questions included his plans for running for president in 2028.
Asked by 'CBS Evening News' anchor Tony Dokoupil if there's any chance he won't run, Vance said: "Of course there's a chance."
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: JD Vance says there is a chance he runs for president in 2028 "Of course there's a CHANCE." "But the way I think about big life decisions is I am a procrastinator." 🤣 "[After the midterms] I'll think about it...ANYTHING could happen!" If he runs, he starts as the clear frontrunner. This means JD is mere WEEKS away from the 2028 talks getting SERIOUS. Marco Rubio has insisted he won't challenge JD Vance in 2028, if JD runs
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 18, 2026
"The way that I think about life, big life decisions — my wife will tell you this — is I'm a procrastinator. I hate thinking about it," said Vance, adding that he'll "have to think about it."
He also noted that he and his wife, Usha Vance, have four young children, and the second lady "has never loved politics," though "she loves public service."
Vance is seen as a top contender for the GOP nomination, with over 44% support in the latest of five Republican presidential primary polls conducted by The Center Square over the past year.
The Center Square surveyed voters on the 2028 Democratic and Republican presidential primaries in October 2025, March, June and August 2026, and again from October 5 to 7. Vance secured 38% in the initial poll, which featured nine prominent Republican contenders. His share rose to 41% in August and 44% in the latest survey, despite the field expanding to 14 candidates.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio trailed in second place with 18%, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 8% and Texas Senator Ted Cruz at 5%.
JD Vance blames Biden admin for high gas prices
During the town hall, Vance was pressed on high gas prices, with a 43-year-old Detroit barber asking him why numbers remain higher than during Trump's first term.
Vance first pointed to Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping and the resulting disruption to global energy markets, but he also placed blame on the Biden administration.
"That's actually the biggest reason why gas prices are so high, because when Joe Biden was president, we had about 20% of American refining capacity that went offline," Vance said.
Vance said the Trump administration was invoking the Defense Production Act to rebuild domestic refining capacity, while cautioning that restoring the country’s refining infrastructure would be a lengthy process.
CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil pushed back on Vance's attempts to blame Biden, noting that Trump and Vance have been in office for nearly two years while Americans continued to face high gas prices.
