NEW YORK, March 10. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump is trying to decide whether he should support Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the Republican candidate in the 2028 presidential election, the Wall Street Journal writes.

According to the newspaper, at a meeting with donors at his Mar-a-Lago club, Trump asked what the guests thought of Vance and Rubio. They "applauded louder for Rubio," the Wall Street Journal points out, citing sources.

Notably, people close to Vance and Rubio say that the two are friends. "Rubio has publicly and privately said he wouldn’t challenge Vance, who is widely seen as the front-runner should he decide to run for president in 2028," the paper adds.

However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Trump has shown fondness for Rubio, praising him in private and telling associates that he thinks the former Florida senator is electable. "Trump’s second-term fixation on foreign policy has put Rubio at the center of the administration’s most high-profile moves, and the president often turns to Rubio for advice," the media outlet notes.

Meanwhile, Vance’s supporters have alleged in recent months that right-wing influencers are being paid to criticize the vice president online. Still, he has the support of figures such as Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, journalist Tucker Carlson and Erika Kirk, the widow of late activist Charlie Kirk.