Donald Trump's grip on the Republican Party is already reshaping the race to succeed him, with a former GOP strategist claiming that 'dozens' of Republicans are quietly preparing 2028 presidential bids in Washington and key primary states right now.
Talk of a 2028 Republican free‑for‑all had largely gone quiet over the past year as Trump pushed to return to the White House again, prompting most ambitious Republicans to wait their turn. That calculation appears to be shifting fast, at least according to Rick Wilson, a former Republican operative and co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, who told Raw Story that party insiders are now openly gaming out life after Trump and, in some cases, his mortality.
The president is rebuilding the Republican Party in his own image. Lawmakers don’t think he cares what happens to it after he’s gone. https://t.co/bJbVfAPodj
— NOTUS (@NOTUSreports) June 15, 2026
Republicans Eye Post-Donald Trump Era
Wilson said he had been tipped off by Republican strategists who now expect a broad field of contenders to jump into the 2028 contest once Trump leaves office. 'The number of Republicans who are planning to run in 2028 is growing by the minute,' he told Raw Story in an exclusive interview.
A year ago, Wilson said the assumption inside the party was that Trump would try to extend his political dominance with yet another run after 2024, effectively freezing the next generation of hopefuls. That mood, he argued, has flipped.
'They think Trump is going to croak,' Wilson claimed, bluntly summing up what he says is the whispered calculation among some Republican players who see Trump's age and health as political variables as much as personal realities.
Nothing about Trump's health or longevity has been officially confirmed, and Wilson's characterisation is plainly his opinion rather than a medical judgment. Still, it captures something raw about the way Washington talks when microphones are supposedly off.
Wilson estimated that 'close to 20' Republicans are now positioning themselves to run in 2028. In his telling, they will come from every power centre in the party: the House, the Senate, statehouses and governors' mansions.
'It will be people from Congress, from the Senate, governors, they're all going to get in because they're going to see the end of the Trump era. They're going to claim the throne of MAGA,' he said, adding with a touch of acid: 'Ambition is a hell of a drug.'
Some of these would‑be candidates, Wilson suggested, have been holding back for years, waiting for precisely this moment. 'Some of these guys have been sitting on the sidelines for a decade,' he said. 'They all think they should be president.'
A 'Real Mess' for Trump and the GOP
If Wilson is even half right, the Republican Party is heading towards a chaotic succession struggle with Trump at its centre rather than comfortably above it. A crowded 2028 field built in Trump's image would not only compete against one another but also jostle for his favour, his base and ultimately his legacy. That could be a gift for Democrats. It could also be a nightmare for Trump himself, who has historically lashed out at allies the moment they hint at independent ambitions.
'I think we're going to see a real mess starting in the spring of next year,' Wilson predicted, sketching out a scene in which familiar hard-right figures suddenly rediscover Iowa diners and New Hampshire town halls. He namechecked Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley as the sort of politicians likely to be 'running around' early, testing the waters and stoking Trump's famous paranoia. 'It's going to make Trump lose his damn mind. He's going to go crazy,' Wilson said.
There is, of course, another side to this story that has not yet been fully voiced. None of the figures Wilson cited as examples has formally declared for 2028 or publicly confirmed such plans, and some may decide that tying themselves too tightly to Trump's future is a political dead end. For now, the plotting remains at the level of strategy memos, donor chatter and barely veiled positioning.
Marco Rubio, JD Vance and the Timing Problem
Two of the most prominent names in Trump's current orbit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, sit in a particularly awkward spot in this emerging picture. Wilson described Rubio and Vance as 'two men with an exaggerated view' of their own political stock, arguing that Trump's patronage might not age as well as they hope. In Rubio's case, he suggested the senator's moment may already be fading.
'Marco has peaked way too early. He's the golden child for Trump and MAGA world, but it's so early,' Wilson said, implying that an early anointment from Trump could prove more curse than blessing if the base moves on by the time ballots are actually cast in 2028.
For Vance, the calculation is murkier. As Trump's vice president, he would theoretically be well‑placed to claim the MAGA mantle in a post‑Trump party, but he would also be tied to every decision and misstep of the administration. Wilson did not spell out a clear prediction for Vance, leaving his future one of the more open questions in the field.
Looking ahead, Wilson argued that the real tell will come not in 2027 or 2028, but much sooner. By next spring, he said, the first serious moves towards 2028 will start to become visible to voters rather than just insiders.
'Watch the spring of next year, you're going to see a lot of people suddenly visiting New Hampshire, suddenly visiting Iowa, suddenly announcing the "American Dream super PAC" and writing terrible campaign books,' he said. 'That's become sort of one of the things, the ritual.'
None of this is locked in. No exploratory committees have been filed, no formal launch speeches delivered. Until they are, Wilson's account remains a map of Republican ambitions, not a confirmed roster. But if he is right about Trump's would‑be heirs, American politics is already living in the shadow of the next Republican civil war.
