Trump Polls Crowd on JD Vance vs. Marco Rubio for 2028 Ticket at White House Dinner

Donald Trump paused his speech during a White House event to conduct an impromptu poll among attendees about the 2028 presidential election.

At Monday’s Rose Garden Club Dinner, the former president interrupted his address to ask the crowd whether they supported Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a potential future run for the White House.

“Who’s it going to be? Is it going to be JD?”

“Is it going to be somebody else? I don’t know … Okay, let’s go. You ready? Who likes JD Vance?”

As the crowd erupted in applause for Vance, Trump followed up with another question:

“Who likes Marco Rubio?”

The room responded with another round of applause, prompting Trump to suggest the two could form a strong ticket.

“All right, sounds like a good ticket … That was a perfect ticket,” he said. “By the way, I do believe that’s a dream team, but these are minor details. That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstance.”

Trump also reiterated his criticism of California Governor Gavin Newsom, repeating claims about Newsom’s learning disability. He alleged that Newsom had once called himself “a stupid person” for discussing his lifelong struggle with dyslexia.

“He got bad test marks. He got bad this. He got bad that. He can’t read a speech.”

“He’s not a smart person,” Trump continued. “He said, ‘I’m dumb just like all the people in this room.’ And now he was accused of being a racist … This guy, what he said is so bad. It was the worst interview I’ve ever seen by a professional politician.”

The former president’s remarks echoed a statement he made in March, when he referenced backlash Newsom faced for comments made during an Atlanta book event.

At the time, Newsom told Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens that he wasn’t “trying to impress [them]” before sharing his poor test scores.

“I’m no better than you,” Newsom said, later adding, “Literally a 960 SAT guy, you’ve never seen me read a speech. Because I cannot read a speech. Maybe the wrong business to be in.”

Newsom responded to Trump’s March criticism by calling him “a brain-dead moron who bombs children and protects pedophiles.”

Watch the full speech below.