Trump won't commit to endorsing in 2028 GOP race days after midterm losses

President Trump would not promise to endorse a candidate in the 2028 Republican presidential race. He gave that answer in his first sit-down interview since Democrats won control of the House and Senate ¹. The interview was taped Friday at the White House and aired Sunday night on CBS's 60 Minutes ¹.

Asked by correspondent Ross Douthat whether he would endorse, Trump said, "Probably, not necessarily" ¹. He added that he "may or may not get involved" ¹.

Maybe I’m better off not getting involved.

Trump still defended his record as a kingmaker. "People I endorse get nominations," he said ¹. But two of his Senate picks won their primaries this year and then lost on Tuesday ¹.

Two endorsed Senate candidates lost

In Texas, Trump backed Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in the primary. Paxton lost to Democrat James Talarico, the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate race since 1988 ¹. In South Carolina, Trump-backed Sen. Darline Graham lost to Democrat Annie Andrews, the first Democrat that state has sent to the Senate since 1998 ¹.

From Channel GOPTrump's 'find 11,780 votes' call played at hearingDonald Trump · 308 plays · captioned, with the source named

Trump named only one possible successor besides the vice president: Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "I think Marco's great," is how Newsweek reported the remark, though Trump's exact words were "Well, I think Marco’s great" ¹. He said "There are many others" and that he would "rather not mention their names" ¹.

Trump never mentioned Vice President JD Vance by name, and he did not rule Vance in or out ¹. That comes four days after Vance blamed the losses on the U.S. war with Iran ¹.

The reason we lost is the war

Trump said he did not disagree with Vance's analysis, except on one point. Asked whether he would launch the war again, he said, "My answer is an emphatic yes" ¹.

The field is wide open

No Republican has formally entered the 2028 race ¹. Vance has said he would decide on a run after the midterms, and that point has now arrived ¹. Rubio has said he would defer to Vance if the vice president runs ¹.

Polls taken before the election put Vance at 38 percent in the RealClearPolling average of national GOP primary polls. Rubio was at 26 percent and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 8 percent ¹. On the betting market Polymarket, Vance gave up ground and sat at a 32 percent chance of winning the nomination Sunday evening ¹. When that market launched in July 2025, he was priced at 56 percent ¹.

The 22nd Amendment bars Trump from a third term ¹. By declining to anoint anyone, he keeps the field guessing and keeps himself at the center of the contest ¹.

That matters because Republican hopefuls now have to weigh whether Trump's blessing helps in a primary but hurts in November ¹. In the same interview, Trump said his deportation policies were "too tough" and that "bad messaging, maybe by me" played a part in the losses ².

Next, watch whether Vance announces a run. Also watch whether Trump backs anyone before the primaries begin. This brief has no Democratic response because the cited coverage includes none.

The Record

1. Nov 3, 2026Trump-endorsed Senate candidates, including Ken Paxton in Texas and Darline Graham in South Carolina, lose general elections to Democrats ¹.
2. Nov 7, 2026Trump tapes a 60 Minutes interview with Ross Douthat at the White House ¹.
3. Nov 8, 2026The interview airs; Trump says he may or may not endorse in 2028 ¹.

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<h2>Trump won&#39;t commit to endorsing in 2028 GOP race days after midterm losses</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files White House Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-won-t-commit-to-endorsing-in-2028-gop-race-days-after-midterm-losses">The GOP Files</a> on Sunday, November 8, 2026.</em></p> <p>President Trump would not promise to endorse a candidate in the 2028 Republican presidential race. He gave that answer in his first sit-down interview since Democrats won control of the House and Senate . The interview was taped Friday at the White House and aired Sunday night on CBS&#39;s 60 Minutes .</p> <p>Asked by correspondent Ross Douthat whether he would endorse, Trump said, &quot;Probably, not necessarily&quot; . He added that he &quot;may or may not get involved&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>Maybe I’m better off not getting involved.</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Trump still defended his record as a kingmaker. &quot;People I endorse get nominations,&quot; he said . But two of his Senate picks won their primaries this year and then lost on Tuesday .</p> <h2>Two endorsed Senate candidates lost</h2> <p>In Texas, Trump backed Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in the primary. Paxton lost to Democrat James Talarico, the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate race since 1988 . In South Carolina, Trump-backed Sen. Darline Graham lost to Democrat Annie Andrews, the first Democrat that state has sent to the Senate since 1998 .</p> <p>Trump named only one possible successor besides the vice president: Secretary of State Marco Rubio. &quot;I think Marco&#39;s great,&quot; is how Newsweek reported the remark, though Trump&#39;s exact words were &quot;Well, I think Marco’s great&quot; . He said &quot;There are many others&quot; and that he would &quot;rather not mention their names&quot; .</p> <p>Trump never mentioned Vice President JD Vance by name, and he did not rule Vance in or out . That comes four days after Vance blamed the losses on the U.S. war with Iran .</p> <blockquote><p>The reason we lost is the war</p><p>&mdash; JD Vance, Vice President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Trump said he did not disagree with Vance&#39;s analysis, except on one point. Asked whether he would launch the war again, he said, &quot;My answer is an emphatic yes&quot; .</p> <h2>The field is wide open</h2> <p>No Republican has formally entered the 2028 race . Vance has said he would decide on a run after the midterms, and that point has now arrived . Rubio has said he would defer to Vance if the vice president runs .</p> <p>Polls taken before the election put Vance at 38 percent in the RealClearPolling average of national GOP primary polls. Rubio was at 26 percent and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 8 percent . On the betting market Polymarket, Vance gave up ground and sat at a 32 percent chance of winning the nomination Sunday evening . When that market launched in July 2025, he was priced at 56 percent .</p> <p>The 22nd Amendment bars Trump from a third term . By declining to anoint anyone, he keeps the field guessing and keeps himself at the center of the contest .</p> <p>That matters because Republican hopefuls now have to weigh whether Trump&#39;s blessing helps in a primary but hurts in November . In the same interview, Trump said his deportation policies were &quot;too tough&quot; and that &quot;bad messaging, maybe by me&quot; played a part in the losses .</p> <p>Next, watch whether Vance announces a run. Also watch whether Trump backs anyone before the primaries begin. This brief has no Democratic response because the cited coverage includes none.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-won-t-commit-to-endorsing-in-2028-gop-race-days-after-midterm-losses">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/trump-won-t-commit-to-endorsing-in-2028-gop-race-days-after-midterm-losses.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “Trump Asked Who Should Succeed Him. Here’s What He Said” (2026-11-09). newsweek.com/trump-asked-who-should-succeed-him-what-he-said
2. NBC News, “Trump says deportations were ‘too tough’ and hurt him during the midterms” (2026-11-09). nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-says-deporta

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