WASHINGTON, United States, June 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump 
thinks the two Republicans most likely to jockey to succeed him would make an 
unbeatable ticket if they run together, he told an interviewer Wednesday.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are both widely 
seen as strong contenders to run for the 2028 Republican presidential 
nomination -- and as rivals.

"I like them both. I like them together," Trump said on the New York Post 
podcast "Pod Force One," adding: "I don't know how you beat them if they're 
together."

The two men would have to agree to it but "they get along really well," Trump 
mused.

He did not venture to say who should be at the top of the ticket.

Neither man has officially declared his intention to run, and Rubio, 54, has 
publicly said that the vice president is a friend and insisted that he would 
not run in 2028 if Vance is a candidate.

Recent polls suggest that Vance and Rubio are nearly tied among Republican 
voters.

Last month, Rubio attracted buzz for confidently handling a White House press 
briefing, fielding questions on Iran, Cuba and China with a relaxed style and 
dashes of humor -- and little of the invective that Trump often unleashes in 
his briefing room appearances.