The Republican Party’s 2012 nominee predicted who the GOP will choose in 2028.
Outgoing U.S. Senator and 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said he expects Vice President-elect JD Vance to carry the torch for the GOP after President-elect Donald Trump finishes his second, and last, presidential term.
“If you were to ask me who the nominee will be in 2028 — I think it will be JD Vance, alright?” Romney told CNN “State of the Union” host Jake Tapper, adding: “He’s smart, well spoken, part of the MAGA movement.”
Tapper noted that Romney once said he didn’t respect Vance, comments the senator brushed off Sunday as from “long ago,” noting they’ve worked together since in the upper chamber.
Romney said “I don’t know that I can disrespect someone more than JD Vance” in 2021, the year before Vance was elected to the Senate. The comments, published in 2023 biography of Romney, were sparked by Vance’s transformation from a Trump critic to a staunch supporter.
Unlike Vance, Romney remains a Trump critic. Romney twice voted to impeach Trump and didn’t vote for him in the 2016, 2020 or 2024 elections.
Asked Sunday what lessons he’s taking away from the election, Romney said: “Donald Trump won. He won overwhelmingly. He said what he was going to do and that’s what he’s doing.”
“You can’t complain about someone who does what he said he was going to do,” Romney added. “I agree with him on a lot of policy fronts. I disagree with him on some things, but it’s like, ok, give him a chance to do what he said he was going to do and see how it works out.”
Romney noted that Trump has transformed and maintained his grip on the GOP over nearly a decade.
“MAGA is the Republican Party and Donald Trump is the Republican Party,” he said.
That transformation has been appealing to working class voters, Romney noted, saying Democrats will need to recalibrate in future elections. Romney argued Democrats’ cultural views drove away blue collar voters, arguing the party is “in trouble” and adding “I don’t know how they recover.”
While Romney sees Vance as the future of the GOP, Trump told Time Magazine recently that he believes his children could carry on his political legacy, responding to a question about whether there could be a Trump family dynasty with: “I think there could be, yeah.”
Trump said his oldest son Donald Trump Jr. would “do very well” in politics. He also mentioned his son Eric Trump, daughter Ivanka Trump and daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who was co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
Trump Jr. is extremely politically active and influential with his father, earlier this year pushing for Vance to be his running mate.
A Morning Consult poll released this week had Trump Jr. and Vance tied for the lead in the 2028 GOP presidential primary, with each receiving the support of 30% of primary voters.
