Trump: It is too early to announce who I will support to succeed me

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that it was “too early” to say whether he would support any of the Republican figures who might eventually run to succeed him, either before or during the 2028 primary elections. In a statement to Hugh Hewitt, a broadcaster on the Salem News Channel, Trump said: “I don’t know.

The President also noted that his support usually makes the difference. Earlier in the interview, Trump said that Republican presidential debates over who will succeed him should begin a year from now, describing it as a "year-long process."

When Hewitt asked him when the 2028 Republican Party primary debates would be appropriate, Trump replied: “I would say in a year.” The president continued: “In some countries, the process takes about two weeks, which is probably a very short time.”

But I think the process should take a year. “I don’t know what the situation is in the other camp, but we have very good people, we really have very good candidates,” he said.

Trump has given mixed signals about the 2028 race, at times hinting that he may not support anyone to succeed him, while at other times indicating the possibility that he would support his Vice President, J.D. Vance, or Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, if they run.