Project 2028: A parade of Republican officials jockeys during the RNC for future White House runs

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Candidates, start your engines. With plausible deniability, of course.

The 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee is officially a gathering to propel Donald Trump into a third consecutive nomination. A parade of loyal lieutenants, including many former Trump primary rivals, have taken the stage to pay homage to the former and potentially future president, making clear just how deep the Trump brand is embossed on the collective Republican soul.

But beyond the primetime pep rallies in front of thousands of delegates – and Trump – the same cadre that make up the GOP’s next tier of power and prestige is jockeying for what seems unthinkable: A post-Trump Republican Party.

Welcome to the 2028 presidential primary pregame.

“As soon as Trump became the nominee, we might even say as soon as Trump won the Iowa caucuses so overwhelmingly in January, it began,” said Iowa Republican Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, whose state will host the GOP’s traditional first-in-the-nation caucuses about 42 months from now.

Vice presidential nominee JD Vance got the most obvious jump Wednesday night in an acceptance speech that mixed praise for Trump with his own national introduction as an ideal successor for Trumpian populism.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true»