Debate over Trump's successor in the Republican Party is intensifying ahead of the midterms

Senator Ted Cruz has already raised his hand: The debate about Donald Trump's successor in the Republican Party has intensified before the midterms in November. Vice President J.D. is considered the favorite. Vance, who, however, is deliberately holding back on public ambitions for the 2028 election until after the midterm elections.

But Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visibly catching up. In this episode, hosts Nicole Bastian and Christian Lammert discuss who has the better chances - with very different opinions.

Christian Lammert, professor of North American politics at the Free University of Berlin, sees advantages for him in Rubio's political style: "Marco Rubio is a completely different type of politician who does not seek confrontation, but rather tries to bring this calm mediation to the fore." He could also count the oil deal with Venezuela as a success.

Nicole Bastian, co-head of department at Handelsblatt, counters that Vance has now given up his initially aggressive political style. “He won’t be Trump 2.0.” In addition, it would be much easier for him to position himself as a successor from the vice-presidential office. The speculation about a Vance-Rubio team with Rubio as the vice presidential candidate is easy to understand given the respective supporters.