(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) As he prepares for the 2024 campaign, former President Donald Trump is whittling down his shortlist for potential running mates.
Most recently, the former president personally told former 2024 challenger Vivek Ramaswamy that he would not be his VP pick, Bloomberg reported.
In many informal polls, the 38-year-old businessman—who built a strong case during the GOP primary for being Trump’s successor in the MAGA movement—has frequently emerged as a crowd favorite.
Moreover, Ramaswamy, the son of immigrants from India, had been touted by some pundits as a good VP option because he would disarm accusations from the Left that Trump promoted racism and nationalism.
But for Trump, it seems, Ramaswamy would not provide his campaign with enough of a boost as he prepares to face off with incumbent President Joe Biden.
He may also be too likeminded and ambitious when it comes to leadership styles, while Trump prefers someone who will serve in a more auxiliary role.
According to a report from the Post Millennial, Trump sees Ramaswamy as a more viable Cabinet member than a vice president. It suggests that Ramaswamy could be looking, in particular, at the position of Homeland Security secretary, oversees border security—one of the most vital and challenging aspects of the Trump agenda.
As for vice president, Bloomberg reported that Trump and his campaign team were in search of a candidate who was not interested in achieving fame or celebrity, but would give him a leg up in the race.
In addition to Ramaswamy, there were indications that Trump also may have ruled out another early frontrunner, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
Sources close to the former president told Bloomberg that Trump was judging potential VP candidates based upon their loyalty to his platform, their ideological compatibility and “perceived electoral power.”
Sens. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina and John Thune of South Dakota have pushed for South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott to be Trump’s running mate. Scott briefly ran in the 2024 primary, but he dropped out early after his polling numbers boded ill.
Rumors have also swirled that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., may secure a role as Trump’s chief-of-staff.
That, in turn, could make the case for Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.—who briefly but loyally served with McCarthy in House leadership after the latter became speaker—becoming Trump’s running mate.
Donalds could help deliver African–American voters, but also has more charisma than Scott. Donalds, furthermore, may be considered to be more of a MAGA conservative, while Scott tends to be more of a traditional conservative, rooted in religious values rather than populist pragmatism.
Two women—South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, also made Trump’s shortlist. Gabbard would certainly be the boldest and riskiest choice, and may require careful vetting to ensure her idealogical loyalty and commitment to the cause.
While Trump already has a lock on South Dakota, Noem might help him deliver more female voters, which has proven to be an elusive demographic. Idealogically, Noem’s conservative values are as safe as they come—although she has had a few minor scandals as governor, on which the media would be likely to pounce.
Trump has previously said that he already made up his mind about the VP selection and that voters were not likely to be surprised by it, which could be an indication that either Noem or Scott is in the favored spot, since both already have an aura of safety and predictability.
Bloomberg further reported that Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah had both been floated as possible picks for attorney general.
However, if Trump is thinking back to his last election, he would be wise not to choose a senator from a state that Democrats could potentially flood with funding and steal in a special election. Such was the case after Trump chose former Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., as his first AG.
Sessions had been a staunch and early supporter on the campaign trail but quickly recused himself in the Mueller investigation, handing it over to deep-state toady Rod Rosenstein, who offered to wear a wire in his conversations with Trump.
Adding insult to injury, Democrats were able to stage a political upset and claim Sessions’s former seat, which narrowed the GOP Senate majority to 51-49.
Cruz is currently locked in a tight reelection race of his own, with some fearing that the demographic changes from Biden’s open border policies and the influx of California leftists fleeing their home state could upset the balance in Texas, turning it permanently purple.
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
