Convention-goers name Vance and Rubio as top 2028 contenders

Susan Collins and other Republicans running competitive races stay away

Convention-goers interviewed by the BBC frequently looked beyond the November midterms to the presidential election in two years and debated who should succeed President Donald Trump. Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were frequently mentioned as top contenders.

Trump will not appear on the ballot again, although he can continue campaigning for the Republican Party. The BBC reported that the party has no clear or obvious successor who can rally its base as Trump does. Trump also made clear in Dallas that he remains in charge and is not in a hurry to surrender the spotlight, according to the BBC.

The leadership debate unfolded at the Republican Party’s first midterms convention, a two-day gathering in Dallas. The event had the features of a traditional presidential election-year convention, including supporters in sparkling costumes, a succession of candidate speeches and vendors selling campaign merchandise.

The convention conducted no official party business. It instead served as a rally for Republicans seeking to increase turnout and avoid losing control of Congress in November.

The BBC described Trump’s grip on the party as absolute. The arena was filled with diehard supporters wearing red MAGA gear from his past presidential campaigns, and the BBC reported that Trump remains beloved among his base a decade after his first White House run and has bent the party to his will.

Trump delivered a lengthy keynote address on Wednesday during the opening night. The BBC reported that he returned to many subjects he has repeatedly discussed during the year while adding a few surprises.

The BBC said the old-style Republican establishment was absent. Senator Susan Collins of Maine and other Republicans running in competitive races chose to stay away. The BBC described the absence of more moderate Republicans as a reminder of how much the party has changed and said it raised questions about the effectiveness of holding an unprecedented midterm convention.

The gathering’s core audience, both inside the arena and watching on television, appeared to be Trump loyalists rather than the moderates and swing voters Republicans need to turn out in large numbers in November, the BBC reported.

After warning that the sitting president tends to lose midterm elections, Trump told the crowd, “I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot.” He also told supporters that their votes would determine whether the country “stumbles” or “moves forward.”

The BBC described Trump’s ballot request as an acknowledgment that he remains the party’s strongest driver of turnout. It also linked the appeal to the Republican Party’s immediate challenge in November and its leadership question for 2028.

Earlier on Wednesday, as he left for the convention, Trump acknowledged that Americans might have to wait longer for relief from high fuel prices. “I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterms,” he said.

Trump repeated that message in his speech, arguing that short-term economic pain from the war in Iran was worth enduring to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. The BBC reported that the argument could be difficult to make to voters facing higher prices.

Polls in recent months have consistently indicated that the cost of living is a top-ranking issue among Americans. Trump’s approval has also fallen as the war in Iran has continued, the BBC reported. A Financial Times/Focaldata poll released on Sunday indicated that his approval had reached a new low, with 33% of registered voters approving of his presidential performance.

The BBC reported that many Republican candidates may have wanted a more direct message about addressing the cost of living and quickly ending the war in Iran.

Trump has long proposed unconventional ideas at rallies. On Wednesday night, he offered to pay every adult U.S. citizen $5,000, or £3,700, if Republicans win both chambers of Congress in November. Trump said the money would have to be spent in the U.S.

Trump provided no details about how the proposal would work, where the money would come from or how the U.S. government would monitor the spending. Democrats called the proposal an “empty promise,” while others questioned whether it would be legal.

The BBC reported that the U.S. has nearly 270 million adults and that paying each of them $5,000 would cost the government about $1.3 trillion. The outlet said the proposal’s feasibility appeared beside the point at the convention: The idea drew loud applause, and Trump appeared to enjoy the response.