Overview
- Trump polled Rose Garden guests on Monday, asking them to choose between JD Vance and Marco Rubio and calling the pair a “dream team” without offering an endorsement.
- Vance, hosting a White House briefing on Wednesday to roll out new health care anti‑fraud actions, joked there is no “Apprentice” contest and said he is focused on his current job.
- Inside the West Wing, Vance is treated as the presumptive 2028 contender as he reshapes his team, naming Cliff Sims as national security adviser and elevating Will Martin to deputy chief of staff.
- Public gauges of support conflict, with an AtlasIntel poll showing Rubio ahead among Republicans and a March CPAC straw poll putting Vance first.
- Even Trump’s informal testing splits by crowd, with reports that Mar‑a‑Lago donors leaned to Rubio while a law‑enforcement audience favored Vance.