President Donald Trump was optimistic about the future of the Make America Great Again movement after a wave of midterm losses, stating that it could continue without him and be led by someone like his secretary of state.
In an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired on Nov. 8, interviewer Ross Douthat asked Trump about the movement and its leadership.
“Do you think you can have MAGA without you as the leader?” Douthat asked. Trump replied that he thought it could continue without him, “because MAGA is basically common sense.”
The GOP’s losses in the midterms have led to questions about the party’s future and who should be the party’s nominee in 2028.
In response to the losses, Trump said on Truth Social that he was not on the ballot and had he been, the GOP would have fared better.
Trump told CBS that he will “probably” endorse someone for the Republican nod in the 2028 presidential election, though “not necessarily.” The GOP, he said, has “a tremendous bench.”
Trump was asked who could succeed him besides Vice President JD Vance.
“Well, I think Marco’s great, but there are many others and I’d rather not mention their names,” he said, referring to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “There’s some senators that are excellent. I know them all. I like them a lot.”
“So, I may or may not get involved,” he continued. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m better off not getting involved.”
According to an NBC News exit poll, 67 percent of Republicans said Trump was not a factor behind their vote in the midterms. At the same time, some Republicans responded negatively to Trump administration policies such as the Iran war, gas prices, and tariffs.
Vance said he received polling showing that many voters who backed him and Trump in 2024 ended up supporting Democrats in the midterms. In a post to X, he said the Iran war, the U.S.–Israel relationship, and the cost of living were behind the GOP’s performance in the midterms.
During the “60 Minutes” interview, Trump opened the door to a deal with the Democrats for some illegal immigrants, a drastic step back from the president’s hardline immigration policies that included no legal pathway for those in the United States illegally.
Vance has been named as a potential heir to the MAGA movement and a possible presidential candidate. Other Republicans who could run in 2028 include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. All of them have been outspoken about the GOP’s defeats in the midterms.
Vance said ahead of the midterms that he would wait until after the election to decide whether to run in 2028. He said there is a chance he might not run, citing his family.
Rubio said in September he has “no plans” to run for the White House.
A survey by Emerson College and The Hill published in late August found that in four hypothetical matchups with Democrats, Rubio outperformed Vance.
But other polls show Vance leading a hypothetical GOP 2028 presidential nomination field.
A poll released by Harvard CAPS/HarrisX on Sept. 2 showed Vance in the lead with 44 percent followed by Rubio with 21 percent.
Rubio told Vanity Fair last year that he will support Vance if he runs in 2028.
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