Most Republicans and Democrats think that Donald Trump will be the GOP nominee for president again in 2024. This is because he won both the Iowa caucuses last week and the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
If nothing else happens that changes the race, Trump’s running mate will be the next and last big question on the 2024 presidential ticket.
Then who could it be? Here is a list of the politicians I think are the smartest and why.
If someone is thought to be on this list, they are someone who would fit in with Trump’s political views and personal style. They may also offer something of value to the ticket.
Trump’s experience with his vice president, Mike Pence, during the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, makes the list lean towards candidates who have shown loyalty to Trump, such as on his legal issues and in trying to overturn the 2020 election.
A Twitter post is attached below related to this news-
Congrats in advance to Trump’s “pretty standard” VP pick pic.twitter.com/RD9Vgdjg2Y
— Stephen Wertheim (@stephenwertheim) January 24, 2024
This is a big part of Trump’s decision-making process. One question that will probably stay with people about a Trump VP pick is whether they will pardon him if he is found guilty of a crime and banned from office.
1. Elise Stefanik
Trump seems to like Republicans that he has been able to turn into followers, and Stefanik is one of the best examples of this. Some people close to Trump have said nice things about the New York lawmaker.
She’s also been very ready to defend and support Trump, most recently calling the people protesting on January 6 “hostages” and saying Trump hadn’t confused Nikki Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). If Pence taught us anything, it’s that giving in could be Job 1.
Stefanik would also give him someone who knows their way around Washington’s power structures, since she has been in charge of the House GOP, worked in the White House, and on presidential campaigns.
Recent Tweet related to this news-
WATCH: Rep. @EliseStefanik discusses the @HouseGOP impeachment articles against DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas.
"We are holding the Biden administration and Joe Biden accountable for the catastrophe at our southern border." pic.twitter.com/vCwer8u0Ga
— GOP (@GOP) January 28, 2024
2. Scott Tim
Last week, the senator from South Carolina probably won Trump a lot of favor by giving him a well-timed support. Just before the New Hampshire primary, he voted for Trump over Haley, even though Haley had nominated him to the Senate in the first place.
At his win party on Tuesday, Trump brought this up and told Scott that he “must hate” Haley. Then Scott said, “I just love you.”
While running for president, the senator didn’t exactly set the world on fire, and he hasn’t said much about his love for Trump in the past. But he might be the most popular choice on this list, and he’d bring some variety to the ticket.
Recent tweet from Tim Scott’s Twitter Handle-
Our hearts break for our fallen service members and our prayers are with their loved ones.
The truth is today Joe Biden has appeased evil.
We must destroy it.
We must strike Iran now.
Enough of Biden’s coddling, bribing, and enabling of the ayatollah. No more. https://t.co/WHi6wDVukv
— Tim Scott (@votetimscott) January 28, 2024
Tim Scott: Trump did more for minorities than Biden will ever do. https://t.co/jWEj4fO8Qc
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) January 25, 2024
Sen. Tim Scott: Trump did more for minorities than Biden will ever do. pic.twitter.com/fEmMOvm6wl
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) January 25, 2024
3. Sanders, Sarah Huckabee
Sanders has done a lot since becoming governor of Arkansas in 2022 to make culture wars a big deal. She has also done a lot of lying for Trump because she was his White House press secretary for two years. She has the closest personal connection to this list of all of them.
One problem that could happen is the “Podiumgate” scandal, which involves a lectern. In October, lawmakers in Arkansas started an investigation into the pricey buy and whether records were changed to hide something. We still don’t have the final word on that.
Also, Sanders hasn’t had much practice running tough races on her own; in both her primary and general elections in 2022, she only had weak opponents.
If he wants it, it’s not very clear right now. When Trump dropped out on Sunday, the Florida governor only gave him a token of support and has since said things that Trump probably doesn’t like. His claim to be an election winner was also hurt by the fact that his presidential campaign was always going downhill.
Also, the fact that both Trump and DeSantis live in Florida needs to be fixed. (They would lose the state’s electoral votes unless one of them moved to a different state.)
America needs a President who cares about border security.
Until we get one back in the White House, states will do what President Biden refuses to do. pic.twitter.com/1BHqGfTyhp
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) January 27, 2024
4. Ron DeSantis
If he wants it, it’s not very clear right now. When Trump dropped out on Sunday, the Florida governor only gave him a token of support and has since said things that Trump probably doesn’t like. His claim to be an election winner was also hurt by the fact that his presidential campaign was always going downhill.
Also, the fact that both Trump and DeSantis live in Florida needs to be fixed. (They would lose the state’s electoral votes unless one of them moved to a different state.)
But DeSantis did get a lot of votes in Florida in 2022. Even though he hasn’t been doing well in the race, he is very popular with Republican base voters—more so than Nikki Haley. He is also someone who has political savvy and a strong desire to stir up trouble.
Recent tweets by Ron DeSantis-
Mason picked both conference championship games correctly! https://t.co/e4d9Jx7x0n
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 29, 2024
5. Nikki Haley
Since Haley is still running, which makes Trump mad, it doesn’t look like it will happen any time soon. She is saying things about Trump that will be hard to explain afterward, like how smart he is and how likely he is to win. For some reason, Trump recently said that he “probably” wouldn’t choose her because she’s not “presidential timber.”He also makes fun of her Indian background, which is a subtle way of “otherizing” her.
Also, loud Democrats, Trump supporters, and even Trump’s son have made it clear they don’t want her on the ticket. She was ready to go against Trump’s White House even when she was ambassador to the UN (see: “With all due respect, I don’t get confused”). He probably worries that she isn’t loyal enough.
But in real life, these things always seem like far-fetched options. Injuries get better. To reach out to parts of the party that aren’t sold on Trump, Haley might be the best choice for running mate.
She was also well-liked as a U.N. ambassador, even among Democrats. As the last person running against Trump and the woman who shocked the political world by beating more well-known men in her 2010 gubernatorial race, she has a good track record in the election. She might be the best choice if the goal is to win.
6. Kristi Noem
The governor of South Dakota has been on these kinds of lists for a long time. Aside from appealing to voters in the Midwest, it’s not clear what she could offer that no one else could. She also doesn’t have much of a national image to build on.
However, having a mostly blank page can be helpful sometimes. And Noem is closer to Trump than a lot of other leaders.
7. Seven J.D. Vance
The senator from Ohio might have undergone even more of a pro-Trump conversion than Stefanik. Vance’s punditry in 2016 was very anti-Trump, but he rode MAGA right into the Senate in 2022. Trump once remarked, in public, that “J.D. is kissing my ass he wants my support so much.” His brand of nationalistic populism could also complement Trump’s, and the “Hillbilly Elegy” author might understand Trump’s base better than Trump does.
That said, Vance’s performance in the 2022 race didn’t exactly scream “Great candidate.” He did much worse than every other Republican in Ohio by more than ten points. Also, the new senator might not be the best choice if, like with Pence, the goal is to have a well-versed politician who can work with Congress and different groups.
8. Lake Kari
If Lake had been elected governor of Arizona in 2022, she would probably be near the top of this list. She didn’t, though. Lake didn’t do as badly as some other Trump-backed candidates, but never having been in office and losing your only race isn’t a great record to join a national ticket with. She’s also running for Senate, which is a problem in and of itself.
But Lake may be the only person on this list who gets Trump’s tough style. She loves getting into fights with her opponents and the media, and the former TV news anchor can talk well in public. The only other person who doesn’t believe the results of the election is Trump. She still claims without any evidence that her 2022 race was rigged.
“I think Kari Lake is the perfect pick [to be Donald Trump’s Vice President].”
“I think there is a better than 50% chance that if she wins tonight, next Tuesday she gets announced.”
Among those at the Arizona GOP ‘watch party’ is @Nigel_Farage who knows Trump and Lake well: pic.twitter.com/2DwbPIdP2f
— Joe Pike (@joepike) November 9, 2022
9. Vivek Ramaswamy
There were a few fights between the businessman and Trump’s campaign before the Iowa caucuses, but other than that, Ramaswamy ran for president in 2024 as Trump’s representative. While other candidates didn’t say anything bad about Trump, Ramaswamy was supporting him. There haven’t been many campaigns that looked more like they were trying to get a job that wasn’t the president.
However, Ramaswamy is a good messenger who might do better in the No. 2 job. But there’s a big problem: most Americans don’t seem to like him very much. A Fox News study from last month showed that twice as many people didn’t like him as did.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY ON TRUMP'S POTENTIAL VP: WHY A STRATEGIC CHOICE MATTERS IN 2024@DanaPerino asks former WH press secretary & co-host of @OutnumberedFNC, Kayleigh McEnany, for her take on the likelihood of Vivek Ramaswamy becoming Trump’s Vice Presidential pick?… pic.twitter.com/fdTxeltyTF
— America's Newsroom (@AmericaNewsroom) January 17, 2024
10. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
People who are close to Donald Trump told The Post that the Republican front-runner’s team had expressed interest in Kennedy Jr. earlier, but that “it was all too early.”
A report in The New York Post said that former US President Donald Trump talked to former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the chance of Kennedy Jr. becoming his vice president.
People close to Trump told The Post that Republican front-runner campaign staff had earlier shown interest in Kennedy Jr., but that “it was all too early.” That person also said it was “right out of the box” when Kennedy Jr. announced his run for president in April of last year.
“Everything is possible.” “By no means would I write it off,” the person said.
It was said that Kennedy Jr., who is 70 years old and used to be a Democrat but is now an independent, would ever become Trump’s assistant, but he denied this and showed no interest in the job.
Timothy Mellon, who has given at least $5 million to Kennedy Jr.’s SuperPAC, told The Post, “I’ve heard the idea.” He said it wasn’t a surprise.
Conclusion
With Donald Trump’s potential nomination as the GOP candidate for the 2024 presidential election, speculation about his running mate intensifies. From Elise Stefanik to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a diverse range of politicians are considered, each offering unique qualities that could shape the future of American politics.
Stay tuned to this page silentnews.org for more updates.
