Rubio Says ‘No Plans’ for 2028 Presidential Run

The two men represent notably different foreign policy instincts, particularly when it comes to Israel and Iran.

By United with Israel Staff

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he currently has “no plans” to run for president in 2028, while leaving the door open to a future bid as speculation grows over who will succeed President Donald Trump as the Republican Party’s standard-bearer.

In a Sept. 8 interview with José Manuel Acevedo of Colombian broadcaster RCN, Rubio was asked directly whether he was one of the strongest potential candidates for president in 2028.

“I’m not a candidate for anything right now, and I’m 100% focused on my job, and I have to be because I have two jobs,” Rubio said. “I have my job as Secretary of State, and I also work as the President’s National Security Advisor, so I have plenty of work right now.”

Asked whether he still dreamed of becoming president, Rubio left the possibility open.

“Well, I don’t know what the future holds, but I have no plans at this time,” he said. “I’m 100% focused on my jobs.”

Rubio and Vice President JD Vance have been widely viewed as two of the strongest potential contenders for the Republican presidential nomination after Trump leaves office.

Rubio has previously said he would support Vance if the vice president seeks the nomination, calling him a “phenomenal candidate.” But the two men represent notably different foreign policy instincts, particularly when it comes to Israel and Iran.

That divide has become increasingly significant as support for Israel emerges as a fault line within the Republican Party.

Rubio has spent much of his political career as one of Israel’s strongest advocates in Washington and has taken a hard line against Iran. During the recent war and subsequent negotiations with Tehran, he repeatedly defended Israel’s right to respond to attacks by Hezbollah and remained more skeptical than Vance about reaching an agreement with the Iranian regime.

Vance, by contrast, has emerged as a leading voice of the GOP’s more non-interventionist “America First” wing and has repeatedly clashed with Israeli officials over Iran and the conduct of the war.

In June, Vance publicly rebuked Israeli criticism of the U.S.-Iran agreement, reminding Jerusalem of the billions of dollars in American military assistance it receives and warning Israeli ministers against attacking Trump.

“If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” Vance said.

He also criticized National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over their approach to Iran.

“What is your exact proposal? You’re a country of 9 million people,” Vance said. “You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have.”

Vance has also said that when American and Israeli interests diverge, Washington must pursue its own interests, “unfortunately for the Israelis.”

More recently, the vice president has faced criticism from pro-Israel conservatives over his continued friendship with Tucker Carlson, who has become one of the most prominent critics of Israel on the American right.

Vance has acknowledged growing skepticism toward Israel among younger conservatives and argued that supporters of the alliance must make the case for why it benefits the United States.

The contrasting approaches have made Rubio and Vance representative of a larger debate over the future of Republican foreign policy, particularly whether the post-Trump GOP will maintain its traditionally strong support for Israel and confrontational approach toward Iran or move further toward the restraint favored by Vance and other influential voices on the populist right.

For now, Rubio insists that contest remains hypothetical.

“I don’t know what the future holds,” he said, leaving open the question of whether he could ultimately seek the presidency in 2028.