'Anxiety' over Trump’s successor as ally taps exiled White House staffer for key role

With the midterms looming in November and the nation already eying the next presidential contest, Wired reports that, “anxiety over the 2028 presidential election and the Republican ticket has officially hit the White House.”

Facing “politically toxic fallout” from President Donald Trump’s war against Iran and other wide-ranging crises, Wired reports there is much internal debate over who is best positioned to fight the headwinds that already appear to be hindering GOP chances at the ballot box.

For his part, Trump has taken an unorthodox approach to sounding the electoral waters.

“On Monday night,” reports Wired, “Trump informally polled guests at a dinner held in the White House’s Rose Garden on their preferred candidate. ‘Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?’ he said, before suggesting a Vance-Rubio ticket would be a ‘dream team.’ The president has actually done several snap polls in recent weeks … The results have been notable, they say: When Trump polled donors at Mar-a-Lago, they favored Rubio. But when Trump recently polled a group of law enforcement officers that the White House thinks are perhaps more representative of regular voters, they favored Vance.”

White House sources say that while Vance is still the presumptive nominee, he’s not taking it for granted and has been working with advisors on political strategy. He’s also begun making changes to his political team, elevating William Martin to deputy chief of staff and tapping Cliff Sims as national security adviser. While Sims has served in a variety of prominent roles throughout both Trump administrations, he notably had a falling out with the president over a tell-all book he wrote after the first term, with Trump claiming he “hardly knew” him despite media reports indicating they worked together closely. His accession in the Vance political apparatus could be a sign that the Vice President is trying to distinguish himself from an increasingly unpopular Trump while harnessing Sims’ “long experience in Trumpworld and close relationships with a crop of top administration officials.”

Wired also explains how Sims serves as Vance’s link to the national security community, but also notes that “the person heading up the National Security Council is none other than Rubio, who holds the title of Trump's national security adviser in addition to secretary of state.”

In recent weeks, there has been a great deal of talk about Rubio’s potential candidacy as he has been charged with several of the administration’s more desirable tasks as of late, maintaining a cheery demeanor along the way that has become unusual for those in Trump’s orbit. There has even been talk of a “shadow” effort within the White House to get him elected in 2028. Wired sources deny this, however, asserting that “there is no secret plan to make Rubio president.”

“Still,” reports Wired, “Rubioworld has been quietly pleased about the positive coverage his briefing generated.”

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