EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump 'Used Rupert Murdoch to Size Up 2028 Presidential Candidate Frontrunners JD Vance and Marco Rubio'
Donald Trump already has the 2028 election on his mind, according to a new book.
June 30 2026, Published 2:10 p.m. ET
Donald Trump is said to have sized up Rupert Murdoch over the relative strengths of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as possible Republican standard-bearers for 2028, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The claim appears in Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, a new 464-page book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
Trump Tests Successors
Trump weighed the political strengths of Vance and Rubio, according to a new book.
Drawing on extensive anonymous interviews and reporting, the authors portray 80-year-old President Trump as driven by grievances, instinct and an ambition to reshape government, cultural institutions and public debate.
They write those mentioned in the book were contacted during the reporting process and given opportunities to provide their perspectives.
The book describes Trump as the "most powerful president of our lifetimes" – and a leader operating on "grievances and instincts" who was once found decorating the White House with the help of a tube of super glue.
According to the book, Trump also regularly asked allies whether they preferred the 41-year-old Vance or Rubio, 55 – both widely viewed as potential successors to his political movement and possible frontrunner candidates for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.
Rupert Murdoch Put On Spot Over GOP Future
Trump is believed to have consulted Murdoch during a White House dinner.
Haberman and Swan write the questioning was extended to 95-year-old media tycoon Murdoch during what they describe as a friendly dinner at the White House in October.
The meeting came despite Trump's defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal after it reported he had sent a lewd birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein decades earlier.
The authors of Regime Change noted at an amicable dinner at the White House, Trump asked Murdoch whether he liked Vance or Rubio better.
The exchange was apparently particularly awkward because both Vance and Rubio were seated at the table when the president raised the question, the book says.
Murdoch responded cautiously before revealing where his enthusiasm lay, according to the authors.
He allegedly said, "I think JD has the potential to be great," while discussing Vance. Trump reportedly then pressed him further, apparently asking Murdoch: "And what do you think of Marco?"
According to the book, Murdoch's answer was more emphatic – and he's alleged to have replied: "Marco is brilliant."
Murdoch previously discouraged Trump from selecting Vance as a running mate.
Sources told us Murdoch is previously said to have attempted to persuade Trump against selecting Vance as his 2024 running mate, making his assessment during the White House dinner particularly notable.
The book presents the alleged exchange as another example of Trump's habit of informally testing the views of influential figures around him while weighing the standing of key allies.
An insider noted: "Such conversations reflect Trump's continuing focus on loyalty, succession and the future direction of the political movement he leads, even as he remained at the center of his administration's agenda.
"Such private discussions offer insight into how Trump measured the influence, appeal and future prospects of the figures closest to him, while quietly gauging elite opinion about who might eventually inherit the Republican mantle after his presidency."
Power Players Revealed
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Murdoch built an influential global media empire.
The Regime Change book portrays the dinner with Murdoch as one of several revealing moments illustrating the president's instinct for political testing.
Murdoch is seen as a political power-player as he's renowned for building one of the world's most influential media empires, spanning newspapers, television, and digital outlets across the world.
A White House source said: "Through decades of shaping political debate and public opinion, he has become a key tastemaker whose views are closely watched by politicians seeking influence, credibility and electoral success."
