Trump plays 'game-show' tricks with donors as insiders raise doubts: report

President Donald Trump's recent messaging to donors has insiders warning it's just more of his "game-show-style drama."

Trump has recently been telling his backers that he's chosen Vice President JD Vance to be his successor, but anonymous sources told the Washington Post Thursday they aren't sure that's true.

"At the end of the day, we need to elect JD," Trump told a group in the Oval Office roughly two weeks ago, according to the report.

While this seemingly put an end to his months-long tease pitting Vance against Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Post's sources warned Post readers to expect more intrigue.

"Trump enjoys game-show-style drama, and advisers said he is loath to yield the spotlight to his preferred successor," the Post reported. "The president has had fun toying with Vance and Rubio — as well as with the press — by hyping up the competition for his blessing, much as he did when deciding on his running mate between the same two men in 2024."

Even after telling donors he backs Vance, Trump kept probing his own advisers about the Vance-Rubio matchup, including during a Marine One ride last month, according to the report.

One adviser with direct knowledge of the donor remarks says Trump has quietly decided Vance is his heir, but cautions it's "too early" to say when Vance might announce a run or when Trump might endorse him publicly.

Six other advisers and allies aren't convinced anything is locked in, noting Trump tells different audiences different things and could still shift. Most expect him to delay any endorsement to avoid looking like a lame duck.

Vance himself hasn't tipped his hand, saying he'll talk it over with his wife after the midterms and deferring publicly to Rubio, whom he calls a friend. The uncertainty has already stoked primary-style friction, with donors and activists lining up for or against Vance and online provocateurs targeting him over the collapsed Iran ceasefire.

A poor GOP performance in the midterms could also embolden critics to challenge Trump's designated heir apparent in a way they would not take on the president himself – much like right-wing influencers have made Vance the target for their ire over the Iran war.

Advisers say Trump's reluctant to hand over the spotlight and has enjoyed dangling the decision the same way he did before picking Vance as his running mate in 2024. He's also floated a third term for himself, although mostly in jest, according to those close to him.

Rubio retains support from establishment donors but holds jobs — secretary of state and national security adviser — that legally bar him from running while serving, and he's pulled back from the spotlight to tamp down chatter. Vance has spent his vice presidency building fundraising relationships with the MAGA base and impressed Trump with his handling of Iran negotiations and a book tour, despite the ceasefire's later collapse.

Trump would still like to see the two on a ticket together, an adviser said, though it's unclear whether Rubio wants to play running mate to Vance. Rubio's office declined to comment.