Once the Midterm Elections of 2026 are over, six months from now, the contest for the 2028 Presidential Election in both political parties will commence in earnest.
Clearly, there will be a multitude of Democratic Presidential nominees, but also, the Republican Party battle for who will succeed the most divisive President in American history will be very intense.
Vice President JD Vance, in theory, will be the front-runner for the Presidency, with, of course, the growing possibility that he might succeed Trump during the term, due to the rapid mental and physical deterioration that is clear to anyone who has any intelligence and perception.
If Vance ends up in the White House before the Republican National Convention in the summer of 2028, he would become the automatic nominee, as it would become impossible to stop him.
But if he is still Vice President, Vance will face fierce opposition for the succession from at least the following:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Texas Senator Ted Cruz
Outgoing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley
Supposedly, Rubio has declared he would not challenge Vance, but that is not a statement that can be taken at face value at this point.
Ted Cruz could end up on the Supreme Court if either Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito retire, leaving a vacancy on the Court.
DeSantis might end up in the Trump Cabinet as a replacement for the Defense Department or some other Cabinet position, once he leaves the Florida Governorship in January.
Rand Paul seems highly likely, as a libertarian and a critic of much of what Trump represents, to announce for President, but he also would face Senate reelection in 2028, if he fails to do well in early primaries in 2028.
Hawley is more of a long shot, but also could decide to contest the nomination.
There could be other potential contenders, but at this point, the best bet would be on either Vance or Rubio.
Since Vance is known to have opposed the Iran War, this is a very difficult time for him as the heir apparent, awkward when one learns that many of those around Donald Trump are suspicious of him, supposedly including White House Chief of Staff Suzie Wiles, who has a great impact on the President.
Vance cannot be fired, however, although, in theory, he could resign at some point, but that would be a long shot, not likely.
If one had to perceive the future, the scenario could be that Rubio would have the edge in the mind of Donald Trump, even though perceptions of Rubio show a grim appearance, indicating a feeling of discomfort as Rubio has, seemingly, abandoned his former foreign policy views, including support of Ukraine against Russia, to accommodate Trump.