Trump Withholds Support for Vance as Iran War Blame Divides Republicans

Marco Rubio Mentioned as a Potential Presidential Contender

U.S. President Donald Trump has withheld his support for Vice President J.D. Vance, who is widely considered a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in the next election. After Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections, Vance cited the war with Iran as a major cause of the loss, revealing differences with President Trump. This has prompted speculation that the race for the Republican presidential nomination could begin in earnest.

U.S. President Donald Trump. White House.

According to CBS on November 9 (local time), President Trump was asked in an interview on the current affairs program "60 Minutes," which aired the previous day, whether he would endorse a Republican candidate in the 2028 presidential election. He replied, "Perhaps. Not necessarily." He added, "We have a lot of great people."

Asked who might run for president besides Vice President Vance, President Trump named Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "Marco is great," he said, adding, "He likes being secretary of state, and he's doing a very good job." He continued, "There are also a few very outstanding senators," and added, "Maybe it's better if I don't get involved in the succession process." 

President Trump has previously named Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio as potential Republican presidential contenders. In this interview, however, he left the field open by not explicitly endorsing Vance. His remarks drew attention because they came shortly after Vance publicly cited the war with Iran as a reason for the Republicans' midterm election defeat.

On November 4, Vice President Vance wrote on social media, "The reason we lost is the war," adding, "If you want to argue that losing the Senate for the next six years was a price worth paying, go ahead." He stressed that the impact of the war with Iran on the Republicans' election defeat should be honestly acknowledged.

While Vice President Vance highlighted the political costs of the war, President Trump has maintained that military action was necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

In his CBS interview, President Trump said he did not "disagree" with Vice President Vance's analysis. However, he said, "I wish he had mentioned one more thing," explaining that it was "the answer to the question of whether you would make the same decision again."

"My answer is obviously yes," he stressed, "because we cannot let Iran have nuclear weapons." He added, "It may not be a good decision for today or tomorrow, but you have to do what is right for the country."

Views on Vice President Vance's remarks are reportedly divided within the White House as well. Foreign media reported that some White House officials took Vance's social media post as an effort to distinguish himself from President Trump on foreign policy.

Secretary Rubio, by contrast, has defended the need for the war with Iran and aligned himself with President Trump. Rubio argued that although the war was not necessarily a popular policy, it was necessary to counter Iran's nuclear threat.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.