Former President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he was open to choosing a female as his vice presidential running mate for his prospective 2024 White House run.
In a wide-ranging interview that aired Sunday on the “Meet the Press” program on NBC, Kristen Welker, one of the co-hosts of the program, asked Trump whether he was leaning toward a woman as his running mate.
Trump responded:
“I like the concept, but we’re going to pick the best person. But, I do like the concept, yes.”
The former president said he hasn’t given much thought to his running mate just yet, saying:
“You always do a little bit, but I really don’t think it’s time. I want to win.”
For months now, rumors have swirled that Trump was leaning heavily toward choosing a female as his running mate this time around, should he end up winning the Republican nomination for president, as he’s widely expected to do.
It could be seen as a savvy political move to try to attract more women voters to his side, in a hypothetical 2024 presidential election against President Joe Biden – which is projected to be a close one again.
Leaning in more to the topic of a female running mate, Welker floated whether it would be possible that Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, could be a possibility. Noem has long been considered a close ally of Trump, and she recently appeared with him during a fundraiser that was held in her state.
Trump responded that he would certainly consider Noem for the spot, saying she is “fantastic.”
Another prominent possibility for the role is Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who is currently running for president herself. She has a close working relationship with Trump, too, as she served as the ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration.
If Trump does end up choosing to go with a woman running mate, former Fox News anchor Kari Lake – who narrowly lost the Arizona gubernatorial election last year – would also likely be considered.
If Trump were to go with a male running mate, two other current GOP presidential candidates would be possibilities – businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina.
Ramaswamy, in particular, has shown that he is very pro-Trump. He’s said recently that if he were to be elected president, he would pardon Trump for his federal indictments – if Trump were convicted.
Ramaswamy’s bid for the White House is an extreme uphill battle, though, making him a potential prime running mate candidate for Trump. That being said, he has said before that he doesn’t have any interest in serving as vice president.
For his part, Scott hasn’t attacked Trump while on the campaign trail thus far, and has frequently been mentioned as a Trump ally.
Scott might also make a good strategic political choice, since he’s the only Black Republican currently serving in the Senate.
