JD Vance Remains Republicans’ Top Pick For 2028
Republicans and right-leaning independents still like Vice President JD Vance the best for the next presidential primary, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio moved up in a new Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll.
The poll asked 952 Republicans and 225 independents who lean Republican from all over the country to choose from 15 well-known conservative politicians or to pick “someone else” or “not sure.”
The current vice president, Vance, was the clear winner, with 36% of people choosing him. He got almost twice as many votes as Donald Trump Jr., who came in second with 19%. Another 14% said they weren’t sure, bringing the total to 70% of all respondents.
But both Vance and Trump Jr. lost some support since a similar October Voters’ Voice Poll. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on the other hand, gained ground.
Rubio only got 9% of the vote, but he was the third choice on the list and the second most popular candidate among independent voters.
This comes as President Trump asked a group of donors at his Mar-a-Lago estate for their thoughts about Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“What do you think of JD Vance and Marco Rubio?” Trump asked, the Wall Street Journal reported.
According to sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, donors applauded loudly for Rubio. The applause for Rubio was reportedly louder than the reaction for Vance. The informal poll came one day after Trump placed Rubio prominently in the administration’s public posture.
Trump noted Monday during a press conference in Florida that Vance had been “less enthusiastic” about going to war with Iran. Trump also described differences in the way the two men approach politics and diplomacy.
“He gets a little bit tough on occasion; we gotta slow him down on occasion,” Trump said about Vance.
Trump then contrasted that approach with Rubio’s style.
“Then we have the opposite extreme,” Trump said.
“Marco does it with a velvet glove. But it’s a kill,” Trump said.
Despite the strong reaction from donors, a recent poll suggests Vance may hold greater influence among voters.
A survey conducted by the Daily Mail and JL Partners between March 2 and March 3 asked voters which figures have the most influence in Trump’s inner circle.
Vance led the poll with 19 percent. Rubio received 12 percent. Stephen Miller and Donald Trump Jr. were tied for third place. The poll surveyed 1,020 registered voters and had a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
The same survey found Rubio’s approval rating declined from 40 percent in February to 36 percent on Friday.
Thirty four percent of respondents said they disapproved of Rubio. Seventeen percent said they were neutral.
Fourteen percent said they were unsure.
Both Vance and Rubio have rejected suggestions that they are rivals. Vance addressed the issue during a February interview with Fox News.
“Marco is my closest friend in the administration,” Vance said.
“I think it’s so interesting the media wants to create this conflict where there just isn’t any conflict,” Vance said.
Rubio also addressed speculation about a possible 2028 presidential race. Rubio told Vanity Fair last year that if Vance runs for president in 2028 he would support him.
“If he runs for president in 2028, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio said.
Judge Delivers First Big RULING $243 Million in Medicaid Fraud Tim Walz Learns His Fate on
ST. PAUL, MN – APRIL 11, 2026 – The return of national sovereignty and administrative lethality has officially collided with the radical mismanagement of the Tim Walz administration. In a blockbuster ruling, U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud has rejected the state’s desperate attempt to block the Trump administration from withholding $243 million in Medicaid funds. This fulfills a core 2026 mandate to protect taxpayers from the absolute disaster of state-run social services fraud.
Judge Eric Tostrud, a Trump appointee, denied the state’s request for a temporary restraining order, ruling that Minnesota officials filed their lawsuit far too early before any cuts were final.
The court noted that Minnesota has publicly recognized it has a serious and systemic fraud problem within its borders.
Attorney General Keith Ellison sued to restore the funding, but the court found that the federal government is acting within its regulatory authority to demand documentation. The freeze is a necessary verification process to ensure taxpayer dollars reach the vulnerable rather than being stolen by scammers.
DRAINING THE WELFARE SWAMP
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz identified questionable billing from various care providers and requested documents to support the disbursement of funds rather than issuing a final disallowance.
It did not express a conclusion that these claims would be permanently disallowed, only that they required proof.
The Trump administration stopped the payments after uncovering that too many Medicaid dollars were being stolen from state-run programs. This quarter-billion-dollar deferment is designed to get the state’s attention and force responsiveness to federal oversight, ensuring that the looter-defenders in St. Paul are held accountable for their fiscal negligence.
VANCE TURNS THE SCREWS
Vice President JD Vance, acting as the administration’s "fraud czar," has been instrumental in demanding total accountability from incompetent state regimes that ignore fiscal laws.
Vance’s strategy is intended to "turn the screws" on Minnesota so they finally take the issue of fraud seriously.
By withholding and deferring funds simultaneously, the Trump-Vance duo is sending a chilling message to blue states: clean up your house or lose your funding. The morning light of American integrity is finally shining on every cent disbursed by the Department of Health and Human Services, putting an end to the "wink-and-nod" era of welfare theft.
FISCAL INTEGRITY RESTORED
The judge ruled that federal rules do not limit the amount of money that can be put off at once, nor do they prevent CMS from pursuing both deferrals and payment pauses.
Minnesota claimed irreparable harm, but the court found the state's legal concerns were unsupported by the current record.
CMS’s Feb. 25 deferral notice identified concerns and requested documents as part of an administrative review. The state’s attempt to characterize this as a political punishment was rejected by the court, which emphasized that the judiciary only steps in when an agency’s decision is final and documented.
RECLAIMING TAXPAYER DOLLARS
The 119th Congress stands ready to support these fiscal enforcement measures through upcoming reconciliation packages aimed at gutting bureaucratic waste and state-level theft.
The 213-203 House victory to fund the border is a blueprint for securing our national treasury.
Taxpayers are tired of the era where state-level officials were allowed to bleed the federal treasury dry without fear. With the Trump administration at the helm of justice, the cleanup of the state-run social services swamp is moving at light speed to restore national honor and fiscal sanity to every corner of the republic.
NO MORE BLANK CHECKS
The final verdict on the Walz administration is one of historic failure as they struggle to justify their inability to stop scammers from looting the social safety net.
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This ruling is a massive win for the badge, the border, and every legal American taxpayer.
We will stay vigilant and relentless in our pursuit of a simple, secure, and transparent government. The 2026 mandate is being fulfilled by results, and the reclamation of our resources from incompetent radical elites is a victory that the DNC simply cannot stomach, ensuring America remains rich and happy.
