President Trump is methodically disparaging potential Democratic presidential contenders, an early sign he plans to aggressively engage in the 2028 race to succeed him.

Why it matters: Trump's legacy will be on the line in that election, and aides expect him to try to influence the shape of the campaign — and the 2026 midterms — through his robustly funded political operation and his push to define Democratic and Republican contenders.

Zoom in: Trump has suggested that he thinks Vice President Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio are probably the Republicans with the best chance of succeeding him, but for now he's focused on defining Democrats. • That's partly why he's been throwing politically charged darts at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Maryland Gov

See Full Page