WASHINGTON — When Charlie Kirk was assassinated this fall, Republican leaders paid tribute to the organization he founded for helping to return President Trump to power.
This organization is now mobilizing under the leadership of Vice President J.D. Vance.
Uninterested in a competitive Republican primary in 2028, Turning Point USA plans to send representatives to 99 Iowa counties in the coming months to build a campaign infrastructure it believes could give Vance, a Midwestern native from neighboring Ohio, a decisive victory, potentially narrowing the tight GOP race, insiders said.
It's the latest step in a quiet attempt by some in Trump's circle to clear the field of viable competitors. Earlier this month, Marco Rubio, the secretary of state previously floated by Trump as a possible contender, appeared to back out of the running.
“If Vance runs for president, he will be our candidate, and I will be one of the first to support him,” Rubio told Vanity Fair.
After Kirk's widow, Erica, supported Vance on stage At Turning Point USA's annual conference in Arizona last week, a poll of attendees found that 84% would support Vance in the upcoming primary. However, broader public polls show a different picture.
A CNN poll taken in early December showed Vance with the majority of Republicans' support for 2028 at 22%, with all other potential candidates such as Rubio and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis registering in the single digits.
The remaining 64% told pollsters they “don't have anyone in particular in mind,” reflecting an open field in which there is plenty of opportunity for other figures to succeed.
While a recent Gallup poll found that 91% of Republicans approve of Vance's performance as vice president—an encouraging number heading into party primaries—only 39% of Americans across party lines view him favorably in the role, setting Vance up for potential trouble if he wins the nomination.
Potential presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle are expected to evaluate their chances next year, before the official start of the primary season after the midterm elections in November.
Closing the Turning Point USA conference, Vance called for party unity amid escalating conflicts between right-wing influencers over acceptability of racism and antisemitism within Republican politics.
“President Trump has failed to build the greatest coalition in politics by subjecting his supporters to endless, self-defeating purity tests,” Vance said. “Every American is welcome. We don't care if you're white or black, rich or poor, young or old, rural or urban, controversial or a little boring, or anything in between.”
Charlie Kirk, he added, “trusted all of you to make your own decisions. And we have much more important work to do than cancel each other out.”
Vance's remarks drew criticism from some on the right for showing tolerance for bigotry within the party. The vice president himself has been subjected to racist rhetoric, and Nick Fuentes — a far-right podcaster who has praised Adolf Hitler — has repeatedly attacked Vance's wife and children because of their Indian heritage.
“Let me be clear: Anyone who attacks my wife, be it Jen Psaki or Nick Fuentes, can eat their shit.” Vance said in an interview. last week, referring to President Biden's former press secretary. “This is my official policy as Vice President of the United States.”
In the same interview, Vance praised Tucker Carlson, another far-right podcaster who has defended Fuentes on free speech grounds, as “my friend,” noting that he endorsed Vance as Trump's running mate in 2024.
Trump has repeatedly floated Vance as a potential successor without ever endorsing him, calling him “very capable” and the party's “most likely” choice.
“He's the vice president,” Trump said in August. “Of course he does a great job and will probably be preferred at this stage.”
Some of Trump's most ardent supporters have pushed the president to seek a third term in 2028, despite the Constitution's 22nd Amendment prohibiting him from doing so.
Trump himself has said the Constitution is clear on this issue. But Steve Bannon, the architect of Trump's historic 2016 campaign and one of his first White House strategists, continues to advocate a path forward for the new campaign, reportedly dismissing Vance as “not tough enough” to lead the party to victory.
“He knows he can’t run again,” Susie Wiles, the president’s White House chief of staff, told Vanity Fair in a recent opinion piece. “It's pretty clear.”
Trump, who will be 82 when he leaves office, told Wiles he realized a third term was not possible “a couple of times,” she added.
Alan Dershowitz, a prominent constitutional law professor and Trump's lawyer during the Senate impeachment trial, recently presented Trump in the Oval Office with a plan for his third term, which he will publish in a new book due out next year.
Even he left their meeting believing Trump would accept another bid.
“That’s my conclusion based on what he said publicly,” Dershowitz told The Times.
“He used to say,” he added, “that it was too cute.”
