GOP Megadonor Plants His Flag In Potential 2028 Primary

A prolific Republican donor stated on Wednesday that he would support Secretary of State Marco Rubio rather than Vice President JD Vance if they both run in the 2028 GOP presidential primary.

Ken Griffin, a billionaire investor who contributed over $100 million during the 2024 election, made the remark at a private conference known as the “Billionaire Summer Camp” in Sun Valley, Idaho, according to Axios. With his piles of cash, Griffin would be an influential asset for Rubio in a presidential cycle.

During a Q&A session at the conference, interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin asked Griffin if he would back Rubio or Vance in a 2028 GOP presidential primary. Griffin said he has historically supported Rubio and donated to his unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign. Griffin also advised President Trump during the 2024 vice presidential search not to choose Vance.

While Griffin noted he would be inclined to support Rubio again if he were to run in 2028, Rubio has stated he would step aside and support Vance if the vice president ran.

“If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio told Vanity Fair last year.

In May, Trump suggested that if Vance and Rubio teamed up on a Republican ticket for 2028, it would be “a dream team.”

“I think it sounds like presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate,” Trump told a group of law enforcement supporters at the White House.

Griffin did not donate to Trump’s 2024 campaign and instead supported former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. In 2022, Griffin told Republicans to move on from Trump, adding that it’s “time to move on to the next generation,” according to Politico.

During Trump’s second term, Griffin has both praised some of the president’s policies and criticized others, as he supported Trump’s deregulation efforts while disapproving of his tariffs.