Former President Donald signaled Tuesday that several high-profile Republicans and at least one former Democratic lawmaker are part of a shortlist to be his running mate for the 2024 election while addressing a town hall broadcast on Fox News.
Senator Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina, and former President Donald Trump participate in a ... [+]
During the event, Fox News host Laura Ingraham mentioned six names the audience came up with as potential running mates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
When asked if all of them were on the shortlist, Trump said “They are…they’re all good, they’re all solid,” adding that he wants people “with common sense, because there’s so many things happening in this country that don’t make sense.”
Trump said the key thing he is looking for in a vice president is someone who can be a good president, “because if something should happen, you have to have somebody that’s going to be a great president.”
The Republican front runner then pointed directly at Scott, who was seated in the audience, and said a lot of people “are talking about that gentleman” and called him a great advocate and someone who “has been much better for me than he was for himself.”
While acknowledging he has a big group to choose from, Trump said a running mate will have very little impact on voters. “One thing that always surprises me is that the VP choice has absolutely no impact, and it is whoever the president is.”
Gabbard’s name was met with cheering and applause, with Ingraham noting there was a “big presence here” for the former Democratic lawmaker from Hawaii. Although she endorsed Biden in the 2020 election, Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022 and joined Fox News as a contributor. Since then, Gabbard has been critical of her former party, has spoken at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and strongly opposed military aid for Ukraine.