Anticipation continues to build surrounding who will be the 2024 Republican vice presidential pick to run with Donald Trump, the likely GOP presidential nominee, due to increasing endorsements from top Republicans and favorable polls.
As it stands now, the former president, who faces numerous civil and criminal cases, has not officially announced his running mate for the 2024 presidential election. But he teased during a Fox News interview that there was someone “I think I like” but added, “there’s no rush to that.”
Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier, “The person that I think I like is a very good person, pretty standard. I think people won’t be that surprised, but I would say there’s probably a 25 percent chance it would be that person.”
Typically, presidential nominees wait until close to the national convention or beyond to announce their vice presidential pick, which creates a sense of suspense and gives them flexibility to change their minds.
Trump allies have urged him to choose a Black man or a woman as his running mate, should he secure the GOP nomination. South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and Ben Carson, Trump’s former Housing and Urban Development Secretary, are both Black men whose names have been floated by political pundits as potential vice-presidential picks for Trump.
Arguably, the top Black vice presidential candidate to run with Trump would be Scott, who apparently has deep affection for the GOP presidential front-runner, telling Trump, “I just love you!” during Trump’s New Hampshire victory speech.
Two Republican women have been considered as potential running mates: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik. In 2023, Gov. Noem told Newsmax that she’d be Trump’s 2024 running mate “in a heartbeat” when asked whether she would consider a hypothetical offer from him to run as his vice president.
Who Else Is Rumored to be on the List for Trump’s Running Mate?
But not every Republican is interested in the job, even some who have endorsed Trump for president.
A former GOP presidential candidate who recently dropped out of the race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has made it clear in various interviews that he doesn’t plan on joining the Trump administration if Trump is able to defeat Biden in the 2024 election.
Although former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley previously served as ambassador to the United Nations under the Trump administration, the remaining GOP presidential hopeful has dismissed the idea of serving as his running mate. The two continue to clash, taking jabs at each other every chance they get, whether on social media or in interviews with the media.
Trump also insisted that she probably won’t “be chosen as the vice president” because she is “not of the timber” should he secure the GOP nomination, according to the New York Post.
In fact, when recently asked whether she’d serve in his administration again, Haley reiterated that she’s not interested in joining Trump’s administration if he is elected. “I have said to everyone, I am running for president,” she said during an interview on “The Breakfast Club.” “I don’t want to be vice president. I don’t want a position.”
Meanwhile, rumors had spread about Trump’s team reaching out to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the VP position, which Trump has denied, according to Newsweek.
Trump, in a Truth Social post, refuted the notion that the former Democrat-turned-independent White House hopeful is being considered for the role. “He is by far the most Radical Left person running for office, maybe ever! Look at his environmental program, and close up the USA!” Trump said.
“I would not take that job,” Kennedy Jr. told NewsNation. “I’m flattered that President Trump would offer it to me, but it’s not something that I’m interested in.”
RealClearPolitics, a political news website and polling data aggregator, honed in on some of Trump’s potential running mates’ strengths and weaknesses. According to the report, Scott’s strengths include his “appealing personality” and “allegiance to Trump by endorsing him over” Haley, who appointed Scott as a senator.
Plus, Trump wants to appeal to Black voters, so he may think Scott could help. But the 58-year-old has a weakness: “Scott’s lackluster presidential campaign reinforced his image as a lightweight.”
As for Rep. Stefanik, her main strength is that Trump may want a woman running mate since Haley is out of the question. She has received praise from conservatives over her “questioning of university presidents” that led to resignations, according to RealClearPolitics.
However, the 39-year-old appears to want the job too badly and is focused on pleasing Trump. Stefanik has also referred to the convicted Jan. 6 rioters as “hostages.”
