Scramble to inherit MAGA as White House is engulfed in covert power struggle

President Donald Trump has long teased Republicans over whether his heir apparent would be Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Now a new report exposes the true depths of the turmoil within the Republican Party over who gets to replace Trump.

"The specter of a Democratic wave on Tuesday and retreat of Republican power has quietly sparked conversations within GOP circles about President Trump’s eventual exit from the political stage — and the future of a party that has revolved around him for the past decade," reported the Los Angeles Times' Ana Ceballos and Michael Wilner on Sunday.

The journalists added, "Heading into the vote, Trump faces the lowest job approval ratings of his career. Factions of the Republican Party long loyal to his brand are beginning to break ranks. Candidates who have aligned themselves most closely to the president are among the most imperiled. From the shores of Lake Ontario to rural Kansas, signs point to a voter coalition under strain, as Republicans grappling with a troubled economy question the party’s direction."

They continued, "Recent polls show that 67 percent of Trump’s 2024 voters approve of his job performance, down from 95 percent early in his second term. The steepest drops are among younger voters and Latino support, according to a Pew Research Center poll."

Polls repeatedly find that overwhelming majorities of Republicans want either Vance or Rubio to be the nominee. Last week Trump referred to Vance as a“very talented person” and a “very good person" but that when it came to seeking the presidency in 2028 “I don’t think we’ve ever talked about it. It’s early, very early right now. We have to get through the midterms.”

In June, USA Today reported that Trump liked to privately ask aides what they think about Vance versus Rubio as potential 2028 presidential candidates.

"In conversations with nearly a dozen sources close to the White House, most of whom requested anonymity to discuss private interactions, allies of the president and vice president said Trump isn’t sold on Vance as his 2028 pick," USA Today wrote. "The president has been asking those around him what they think of Vance and Rubio, a more seasoned politician who has become one of Trump’s most trusted advisers on international affairs."

The Wall Street Journal also reported this in March.

“The 2028 election is more than 2½ years away, but it is very much on Trump’s mind, as he casts about for a suitable heir to his MAGA empire,” The Wall Street Journal reported at the time. “For months, the president has privately polled advisers, donors and friends about the political strengths and weaknesses of his vice president and secretary of state, pitting the two young, ambitious Republicans against each other—whether they like it or not.”

The Journal continued, “Less than a day after the U.S. began bombing Iran, President Trump met with two dozen donors at his Mar-a-Lago club. As attendees dined on jumbo crab and rib-eye steaks, Trump asked the crowd: What do you think of JD Vance and Marco Rubio? The guests applauded louder for Rubio, according to people in the room.”