‘What?!’: Trump’s Ego-Driven Search for His Successor Takes Bizarre Turn — And Even Critics Are Caught Off Guard at His Shocking Racial Outburst
The race to become Donald Trump’s political heir has become one of Washington’s favorite guessing games.
Republicans are still years away from choosing their next nominee, but insiders are already debating who will inherit the MAGA movement. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio remain the leading contenders. Trump, however, continues to keep everyone guessing.
The president is fueling the conversation without publicly naming a favorite.
A new book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan offers fresh insight into the battle over Donald Trump’s political successor. In “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,” the authors say Trump has turned the question into an ongoing guessing game inside the White House.
Rather than offering a clear answer, he reportedly asked the people around who should carry the MAGA banner next. He gave two choices: Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
That dynamic has occasionally played out in public.
During an Oval Office meeting with Democratic leaders, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly spotted the president’s collection of “Trump 2028” hats.
Jeffries said to the president, “How does he feel about that?” pointing to Vance.
“Ah, he’s fine. He doesn’t care,” Trump replied, according to the book. “We’re giving him a little more training.”
Vance offered only two words: “No comment.”
Trump has also publicly teased the possibility of a Vance-Rubio ticket. He has stopped short of endorsing either man. At a White House Rose Garden event in May 2026, he jokingly polled the audience. He asked who preferred Vance, then posed the same question about Rubio.
After both received applause, Trump smiled and remarked that they sounded like “a good ticket,” but quickly reminded everyone that his comments should not be viewed as an endorsement.
The book’s most talked-about anecdote, however, has little to do with campaign strategy and everything to do with interior decorating.
Haberman and Swan recount that after Trump added more gold flourishes throughout the Oval Office, someone wondered whether the next president would simply remove them.
“What if the next president takes it all down?” the person asked.
Trump reportedly shrugged before delivering an answer that instantly generated headlines: “Cubans love gold.”
The remark was widely interpreted as a reference to Rubio. His parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba before the 1959 revolution. Trump offered no further explanation. Still, the authors present the exchange as a glimpse into how he privately thinks about the people most likely to follow him into the Oval Office.
The comment immediately fueled debate online.
“Little Marco will never be president,” one wrote. Another added, “Soon trump will have Rubio denouncing his Cuban roots.” A third comment read, “Isn’t he as bigoted as ever-and BabyBoy Marco just lets him shame him.”
“They are pushing Vance out so they can keep the warmongering going,” one rationalized.
Someone else predicted, “So they’re planning on rigging it for lil Marco…good to know.”
One person lightened the mood with a joking, “JD frantically changing his name to Jose D Vance.”
However, another got really serious, writing, “About the gold I think we should sell it and get back some of the money that he owes the government all the money he’s put us in debt for that would make sense.”
Observers viewed the remark as humorous, stereotypical, or politically revealing. Either way, it reinforced a broader theme running throughout the book. Trump appears to prefer competition over certainty.
That “Hunger Games” management style extends well beyond the question of succession.
The president has repeatedly turned Cabinet meetings into opportunities for public teasing. Vance has recalled walking into the Oval Office with Rubio only to have Trump interrupt their conversation and declare, “You guys have sh—y shoes.”
According to the Ohio native, the president then ordered multiple pairs of his preferred shoes for both men as Christmas gifts. He allegedly watches to make sure the gifts are worn — whether the shoes fit or not.
Some social media users claim that’s why Rubio is often photographed wearing shoes they deem to be too big. He doesn’t care about being hazed, he wants to be Trump’s pick.
Trump’s influence over his team extends far beyond policy.
He remains the undisputed center of gravity inside the Republican Party. That is true whether he is discussing a future presidential endorsement, critiquing a Cabinet member’s footwear, or joking about who might preserve his gold-filled Oval Office.
For Vance, Rubio, and every ambitious Republican hoping to become the party’s next standard-bearer, the message is unmistakable. Trump still believes he decides when the race truly begins. He also believes he decides who crosses the finish line.