US President Donald Trump said in a podcast interview aired on Wednesday that Vice President JD Vance and US 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,” news agency Reuters quoted Trump as saying to Miranda Devine on a podcast aired on Wednesday. “It’s an 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 manoeuvring ⁠has begun. Democratic contenders are already jockeying for a 2028 presidential run, signalling an open race ‌with no ⁠clear party standard-bearer in the fight to succeed Republican President Donald Trump.