Trump gives hint about his running mate in 2024

13.08.2022, 18:43 weeklyblitz.net

With speculation ripe that former President Donald Trump will run for president in 2024, rumors are beginning to surface about who he may choose as his possible running mate. One recent report speculated that New York Rep. Elise Stefanik is likely a frontrunner. While talk about a 2024 vice-presidential pick is of course premature, conversations about adding Stefanik to a future Trump ticket have gained steam in recent weeks at Mar-a-Lago and in other Republican circles, sources said. Current and former advisers and others in Trump’s orbit have privately argued that the New York Republican, who replaced Rep. Liz Cheney as the no. 3 House Republican last year, is a fierce and loyal attack dog, and Trump would benefit from tapping a woman for vice president should he run again. Two people familiar with the matter said Trump has been surveying close friends and allies on what they think of Stefanik, one of several Republican women he is possibly eyeing for the potential VP slot, though he has not ruled out a few male contenders, too. One of these people said the former President believes Stefanik has undergone a genuine transformation – leaving the moderate wing of the party to join its increasingly powerful “America First” flank. “There is a part of Trump who thinks he needs a female VP. He definitely likes her, likely because of how effusive she is to him,” an adviser to the former president said. -Advertisement- “President Trump thinks very highly of Elise Stefanik. … She has been talked about in circles close to him as a potential vice president,” Chris Ruddy, a longtime friend of the former president, said. “And there’s a feeling among a lot of people on the Republican side that they need to have a woman on the ticket this time.” Another name floated in the media is South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem. However, said that she will support Trump if he runs again in 2024 but declined to say if she wants to be his running mate. -Advertisement- “I think that there’s a lot of people out there who would like his running mate. I’m focused on getting reelected,” Noem told CNN’s co-anchor Dana Bash. “I don’t operate in that hypothetical either,” Noem continued. “I would be shocked if he asked. And right now, I’m just so focused on South Dakota. We’re doing great things, and we’ve got a lot more to do the next four years.” -Advertisement- Another name recently pushed is Iowa GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds. “While states like Iowa and Ohio didn’t budge much in 2020, a few purple states shifted to be a bit bluer in the last election. To shed some of that East Coast Elite baggage, Trump could look to a running mate from the Midwest. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is also a woman with executive leadership experience,” Market Realist reported. “She’s all but a lock to win a second term in 2022’s gubernatorial race, so accepting a VP nomination would mean abandoning her term, but Iowa has been solidly red for the past several cycles, so fear of flipping the governor’s mansion blue is unlikely to cause her any concern. Reynolds is in her 60s. While not exactly youthful, it’s a lot closer to the median age of presidents (55) than Trump, who will be 78 in 2024,” the report added. -Advertisement- During an interview last month on Newsmax, Trump spoke about the idea of Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis being his running mate. “Well, I get along with him,” Trump said before going on to take credit for DeSantis’ rise: “I was very responsible for his success because I endorsed him and he went up like a rocket ship.” In April, a survey found that Trump and DeSantis were tied in terms of several favorable areas, while he surpassed the 45th president in others. The Republican National Committee also revealed this week where it will likely hold its 2024 convention.