Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are both seen as the Republican Party’s strongest potential candidates in the next presidential election, but the Iran war could prove to be a political millstone for them. Rubio’s full-throated support for the war could come back to haunt him depending on how the war turns out.
Trump lashes out at allies, says securing the Strait of Hormuz is 'not for us'A US Marine is detained after TSA finds a live 25 mm explosive round in his checked bagAirport cleared to be renamed for Trump as he unveils design for skyscraper libraryWorld's tallest basketball player, 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux, is transferring from FloridaSuspension lifted for helicopter pilots who hovered near Kid Rock's homeNASA is shooting for the moon.
A guide to the Artemis II missionRaccoon goes on drunken rampage in Virginia liquor store and passes out on bathroom floorWorries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyAt Middle Creek, timing and distance shape a photo of migrating geeseThings to know about Rice's whale, a rare species at risk from Trump plans for more Gulf drillingCorn tortillas in California now must contain folic acid. More states are looking at itWorries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyChallenging your brain helps keep it healthy. Here's how to do itJury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trialDo-it-yourself projects can save money and build confidence, or do the oppositeEl papa León XIV rechaza en Domingo de Ramos las afirmaciones de que Dios justifica la guerraLIVE A guide to the Artemis II missionRaccoon goes on drunken rampage in Virginia liquor store and passes out on bathroom floorWorries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyAt Middle Creek, timing and distance shape a photo of migrating geeseThings to know about Rice's whale, a rare species at risk from Trump plans for more Gulf drillingCorn tortillas in California now must contain folic acid. More states are looking at itWorries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyChallenging your brain helps keep it healthy. Here's how to do itJury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trialDo-it-yourself projects can save money and build confidence, or do the oppositeEl papa León XIV rechaza en Domingo de Ramos las afirmaciones de que Dios justifica la guerraPoliticsThis photo combination shows Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Vice President JD Vance, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. Vice President JD Vance, left, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House, March 3, 2026, in Washington. This photo combination shows Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Vice President JD Vance, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. This photo combination shows Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Vice President JD Vance, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. Vice President JD Vance, left, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House, March 3, 2026, in Washington. Vice President JD Vance, left, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House, March 3, 2026, in Washington. Rubio, known for his hawkish views, gave an impassioned defense of the war, calling it “a favor” to the United States and the world. Vance, who has long pushed for restraint in U.S. military intervention overseas, was more sedate. He said that the U.S. now has “options” it didn’t have a year ago and that it is important Iran does not get a nuclear weapon — before redirecting his remarks toward wishing the troops a happy Easter.in Iran. And it comes as some would-be Republican presidential candidates begin quietly courting officials in key states like New Hampshire in the early stages of the GOP’s next nomination fight. With Vance and Rubio seen as the party’s strongest potential candidates in a 2028 primary, the two have to balance their roles in the Trump administration with their future political plans. “It’s very obvious from the way that Rubio talks about Iran and the way that Vance talks about Iran that they are of different casts of mind,” said Curt Mills, the executive director of “The American Conservative” magazine and a vocal critic of the war. The Cabinet meeting episode was telling, he said, because it seemed as though Vance, discussing Easter, was “literally trying to talk about anything else other than the war.”Vance’s office declined to comment. The State Department declined to comment but pointed to Rubio’s remarks last year during a Fox News Channel interview where he said he hopes Vance intends to run for president and wouldn’t rule out anything for himself. It’s too soon to forecast how Republican voters might feel about the war next spring, when the 2028 contest is expected to begin in earnest, but the risks for both Vance and Rubio are acute. Rubio’s full-throated support for the war could come back to haunt him depending on how the conflict develops. Vance, meanwhile, would risk accusations of disloyalty if he were to stray too far from Trump, but struggles to square an appearance of support for the war with his past comments.Vance, who served in the Iraq war, has said that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, but he’s long been skeptical of foreign military interventions. Trump seemed to allude that Vance may have held onto that position in private discussions about Iran, telling reporters that Vance was “philosophically a little bit different than me” at the outset of the conflict.Though Vance has been careful in how he speaks about the war, what he’s not saying has been conspicuous. On a March 13 trip to North Carolina, he was twice asked by reporters if he had concerns about the conflict. Each time, he said it was important that Trump could have conversations with advisers “without his team then running their mouths to the American media.” A few days later at the White House, when Vance was again asked if he had concerns, he accused the reporter of “trying to drive a wedge between members of the administration, between me and the president.” For Rubio, long before he became the country’s chief diplomat, he voiced support for muscular foreign policy and American intervention abroad. Days into the war, he told reporters that it was “a wise decision” for Trump to launch the operation, that there “absolutely was an imminent threat” from Iran and that the operation “needed to happen.”The apparent split between Rubio and Vance on the Iran war is emblematic of the divide starting to cleave within the Republican Party. A recent survey from, with about half of Republicans saying the U.S. military action has been “about right.” Relatively few Republicans, about 2 in 10, say military action has not gone far enough, while about one-quarter say it’s gone too far.Alice Swanson, a 62-year-old who attended Vance’s event in North Carolina, said she wants Vance and Rubio to run together in 2028 but favors the vice president.Swanson acknowledged, nonetheless, that Vance has been an outspoken opponent of interventionist policy but has been quieter on the subject since the war. “I can see both sides,” Swanson said after expressing full support for Trump’s decisions.She made it clear she sides with the president, calling the course he’s taken “spot on.” But she defended the vice president if he seems at odds with his past statements, noting politicians do it frequently. “They’ve all changed their positions at one point or another,” she said. However, Joe Ropar, attending the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, said Rubio’s unequivocal support for the Iran war helped crystallize his preference for the secretary of state for 2028. “I’m not looking at JD Vance for president, and it’s for stuff like that,” said Ropar, a 72-year-old retired military contractor from McKinney, Texas. “I don’t 100% trust him.” Benjamin Williams, of Austin, Texas, said at CPAC that both Trump and Vance are “tied to this war.” The 25-year-old marketing specialist for Young Americans for Liberty is looking elsewhere for a candidate.Whether the war becomes a political problem for Vance and Rubio depends on who ultimately enters the GOP’s next presidential primary. While Vance and Rubio are currently considered the overwhelming front-runners, former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu expects a half dozen high-profile Republicans to enter the contest. Sununu and former RNC Committeewoman Juliana Bergeron told The Associated Press that multiple Republican presidential prospects have reached out to them in recent weeks to discuss the political landscape in the state that traditionally hosts the opening presidential primary; they declined to name them. Republican strategist Jim Merrill, a top New Hampshire adviser for Rubio’s 2016 presidential bid, predicted that Iran would become a flashpoint in 2028 — just as the Iraq war was for Democrats in 2004 and 2008.Still, Sununu is doubtful that Iran would become a meaningful dividing line in a prospective Vance-Rubio matchup given their status as prominent members of the Trump administration. Both will likely take credit if the conflict ends well, and both would look bad if it does not, he predicted. “They’re tied together with the success or failure of Iran. It doesn’t really separate one versus the other, at least I don’t think that’s how the electorate will see it,” Sununu said.Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington, Bill Barrow in Rocky Mount, N.C., and Thomas Beaumont in Grapevine, Texas, contributed to this report.Price covers the White House. She previously covered the 2024 presidential campaign and politics, government and other news in New York, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. She is based in Washington.
Chris Sununu Donald Trump Marco Rubio JD Vance U.S. Republican Party Military And Defense 2024 United States Presidential Election Iran Government General News Elections Government And Politics Alice Swanson Juliana Bergeron Tracy Brill U.S. News Jim Merrill Curt Mills World News Washington News Joe Ropar Iran Benjamin Williams Politics Washington News World News U.S. News
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Usha Vance on disagreements with JD Vance, 2028 and shopping at CostcoKate Snow is a senior national correspondent for NBC News and an anchor for NBC Nightly News.
Read more »
Vance wins CPAC straw poll for 2028 Republican presidential nominationVice President J.D. Vance won a straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) about the GOP presidential nominee for 2028.
Read more »
Rubio gains early momentum in hypothetical 2028 GOP primary race as Vance remains front-runnerFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
JD Vance appears at secretive conservative donor summit as 2028 presidential speculation growsJD Vance headlined a closed-door gathering for the spring summit of the Rockbridge Network, a secretive donor group that Vance co-founded in 2019 during his stint as a private investor.
Read more »
Vance Spotted at Secret Donors Meeting as 2028 Rival SurgesMarco Rubio is quickly growing in popularity. Vance is responding.
Read more »
Vance and Rubio's differing postures on Iran war highlight their challenges ahead of 2028 electionSecretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are both seen as the Republican Party’s strongest potential candidates in the next presidential election, but the Iran war could prove to be a political millstone for them.
Read more »