The VP Candidate Donald Trump Is Considering Is Somebody No One Suspected
Controversial presidential candidate Donald Trump has opened up about who he would select as his vice president if he gets reelected.
Over the last few months, the conservative businessman has been knee-deep in legal woes, ranging from his mult-million dollar loss in his New York civil fraud case to his impending trial regarding his alleged attempt at overturning the 2020 election. Amid his increasingly bleak legal situation, Trump has trudged forward with his campaign to be reelected as the president. "In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States," he first announced in November 2022, per the Associated Press. Since making his announcement, Trump has gone down his expected route of presidential campaigning, including disparaging his competitors, slamming the current president, Joe Biden, and making outlandish promises to his MAGA supporters.
The former reality TV star has also shared his thoughts on selecting his potential VP, telling NPR, "The person that I think I like is a very good person, pretty standard. I think people won't be that surprised." While Trump has remained mum on the exact identity of his potential VP, he has dwindled it down to a handful of individuals.
Donald Trump is considering a handful of his former rivals as potential VP options
During his appearance at a Fox News town hall on February 20, Donald Trump revealed that his former competitors for the Republican presidential nomination, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott, were in the running as his potential vice president pick. In addition to the three previous candidates, former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard and Kristi Noem are also being eyed by the "Apprentice" star. "They are... honestly all of those people are good. They're all good, they're all solid," he said (via the New York Post). Trump added that while he is considering the aforementioned figures as running mates, it's not his priority. "The one thing that always surprises me is that the VP choice always has no impact," he added.
Trump's town hall statement came a few weeks after an ally close to the controversial figure told Reuters that he is considering having a woman as his potential VP, as he believes it will help him with voters. "Every day, everywhere he goes, it's, 'What do you think of this person? What do you think of that person?'" another source told the news outlet.
Donald Trump has clashed with a handful of his potential VP picks
Before becoming a front-runner for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump didn't have the nicest things to say about his potential VP prospects. In November 2023, the twice-impeached former president described Florida governor Ron DeSantis as a weak bird. "My people said, 'Sir, don't hit him. He's a Republican.' I said, 'I don't care if he's a Republican.' And we hit hard and now he's like a wounded falling bird from the skies,'" he said at the Republican Party's Freedom Summit, per CBS News. Trump also had choice words for the equally polarizing Vivek Ramaswamy in January 2024 after the latter's camp handed out shirts with the phrase "Save Trump, Vote Vivek." "Very sly, but a vote for Vivek is a vote for the 'other side' — don't get duped by this, he wrote on his Truth Social platform, via ABC News.
While Trump seemed to turn over a fickle new leaf with his rivals, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley will most likely not get the same grace. As the last Republican candidate standing in the way of his nomination, the former U.S. ambassador has shown no signs of dropping out, which hasn't gone over well with Trump. During his speech at a New Hampshire rally, Trump stated that he would not pick her as his potential VP. "She is not presidential timber. Now when I say that, that probably means that she's not going to be chosen as the vice president," he said in January 2024.