No, it may not be Lil Wayne—but with former president Donald Trump hinting about another run during his recent CPAC speech, the veepstakes is bound to become a popular GOP parlor game over the next two years.
Although Trump is getting serious about a potential 2024 bid, it is abundantly clear that he will not re-team with former running mate Mike Pence in the next race, according to Bloomberg.
Trump has yet to mend fences with Pence after the two parted ways over Pence’s refusal to intervene in the certification of the 2020 election for President Joe Biden.
Trump’s denunciation of his vice president led some supporters to call for violence against Pence during the Jan. 6 uprising at the US Capitol. Pence had to be escorted to safety as rioters outside the Capitol building chanted about apprehending and hanging him.
Yet, the unfortunate rift invites speculation about the prospect of an even more dynamic GOP ticket.
Top aides to the former president, who wished to remain anonymous, told Bloomberg that Trump is considering choosing a woman or person of color to be his running mate instead of Pence.
One potential replacement is South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who also garnered praise for her recent CPAC speech.
The sources said Trump won’t announce his plans until the summer of 2023.
However, Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, disputed the report and said that “no such conversations” have taken place.
This is fake news. No such conversations are happening. https://t.co/RU8NG22d9u
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) March 3, 2021
Trump said during his CPAC speech that he’s keeping an eye on the polls, and this week he predicted no other Republican would be able to beat him in a primary.
“I’ve done a good job for this party,” Trump said.
“We had the greatest economy in history and then we rebuilt it a second time and the foundations were so strong that no other country can even compete with us,” he added. “I think based on the job performance, I’m not sure that anybody should be able to win other than us.”
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
