Former US president and Republican primary favorite Donald Trump said live on FoxNews on Wednesday that he has already chosen a running mate. Trump has said in the past that he likes the idea of a female vice president.
Former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence served as vice president during Trump’s first term, but Pence’s reappointment as Trump’s running mate has essentially been ruled out. The reason is the invasion of the Congress building by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, during the confirmation of the election results, which Pence immediately condemned.
Trump’s experience with Pence means that the main criterion for choosing a vice president is loyalty. That’s why people close to Trump tell the Times that the former president is no longer considering offering Nikki Haley to replace him as his vice president. Haley served as US ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, but has now emerged as Trump’s main rival in the Republican primaries.
However, one reason Chris Christie, an ardent Trump critic who recently abandoned his presidential bid, refuses to support Haley is fears that Haley could still become Trump’s vice president.
“Let’s say I become vice president. Then what will I be like? How would the people who support him feel about my appeal?” Christie said.
However, Trump is considering a woman as his vice president, so Haley has an advantage over the competition.
“I like the idea, but we’ll pick the best person. But I like the idea, yes,” Trump told NBC in September when asked about choosing a woman as his vice president.
According to the Times, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Arkansas Gov. and former Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, U.S. House of Representatives Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and House of Representatives member Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia are the favorites to be Trump’s vice presidential nominee.
Of these four, Noem has the best chance, writes The Times. The South Dakota governor gained notoriety and popularity among Republicans due to his staunch support for the right to bear arms and the state’s strict abortion ban during his time in office. Additionally, Noem’s state is located in the US Midwest, which could help Trump win crucial states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.
In Sanders’ favor is his loyalty to Trump, but his problem is considered to be his low approval ratings in his home state and his relative youth.
Stefanik holds a high position in the Republican hierarchy of the House of Representatives and became known last fall, when he conducted a survey of the presidents of three major American universities on the topic of the spread of anti-Semitism in American universities. Subsequently, two rectors resigned from their positions. Yet Stefanik is considered a moderate lawmaker who only came to support Trump after he became president. The problem for Green, extremely loyal to Trump, is instead the excessive right, which has made him an unpopular figure with the general public in the United States.
The only man whose name is mentioned by people close to Trump and his campaign staff in the context of the vice president selection is Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.
It was thanks to Trump’s support that Vance became Ohio’s Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat in 2022. Although Vance criticized Trump’s behavior in 2016, he has since become one of the former’s biggest supporters president.
Trump aides were surprised when Trump told FoxNews that he had already essentially made his choice. However, they see the speculation about Trump’s vice presidential candidacy as a good sign for the campaign.
“It’s remarkable that so many people want to be the vice presidential nominee because they know Trump will win the general election,” said Jason Miller, Trump’s top adviser.
2024-01-12 04:58:00
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