Trump says Vance and Rubio teaming up for 2028 run would be unbeatable

June 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said in a podcast interview aired on Wednesday that Vice ‌President JD Vance and U.S. Secretary of State ‌Rubio, teaming up for a 2028 presidential run, would be unbeatable.

Both men ​are seen as contenders for the 2028 Republican nomination, and Rubio's recent turn at the White House podium drew praise from Republicans and even some Democrats who noted his ‌smooth performance, which included ⁠quips and a 1990s hip-hop reference to describe Iran's negotiating position.

"I would think that JD ⁠and Marco as a team would be very hard to beat," Trump told Miranda Devine in a podcast aired on ​Wednesday. "It's interesting, ​human thing, the human ​equation. So I watch them ‌together, they get along great," he added.

Trump has continued to fuel the succession talk even as both Vance and Rubio downplay their 2028 ambitions.

Vance and Rubio have taken turns to take the stage at White House briefings to ‌defend the Trump administration against ​a wide range of questions including ​the increasingly unpopular Iran ​war.

No one has formally entered the race ‌for the November 2028 vote, ​but maneuvering has ​begun. Democratic contenders are already jockeying for a 2028 presidential run, signaling an open race with no clear ​party standard-bearer ‌in the fight to succeed Republican President Donald Trump.

(Reporting ​by Kanjyik Ghosh and Doina Chiacu; Editing by ​Bernadette Baum and Chizu Nomiyama )