Washington DC - President Donald Trump has explicitly rejected suggestions that JD Vance would be his natural successor, casting doubt over the vice president's prospects for the 2028 election.

In an interview with Fox News that aired Monday night, Trump reiterated was largely complimentary of Vance – with one glaring exception.

Towards the end of the interview, Baier asked whether Trump viewed him "as your successor, the Republican nominee in 2028."

"No," was the president's brutally honest response, before he quickly added: "But he's very capable. I mean, I don't think that, you know, I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far, I think he's doing a fantastic job. It's too early. We're just starting."

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"I will say... A lot of people have said that this has been the greatest opening, almost three weeks, in the history of the presidency."

"I think it was a little shocking when he said 'No,'" Baier said while speaking on The Story with Martha MacCallum on Monday night. "Once you get to the midterm, you start to think about 2028. And obviously one would think JD Vance is going to be trying to position for that role."

"But clearly, the president is not ready to talk about that, or think about it, and says that there are other people that may get in the mix."

Questions about Vance's role in the new Trump administration have multiplied, with many suggesting that far-right billionaire Elon Musk is Trump's actual deputy.

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Vance has repeatedly been put in the position of justifying comments made by Trump and Musk.

He has been tasked with meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference this week for talks over Russia's ongoing invasion.