{"id":1447788,"date":"2024-01-05T02:20:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-05T07:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1447788"},"modified":"2024-01-05T02:20:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T07:20:00","slug":"potential-running-mates-for-trump-including-2-wildcards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/potential-running-mates-for-trump-including-2-wildcards\/1447788\/","title":{"rendered":"Potential Running Mates For Trump, Including 2 Wildcards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Potential Running Mates For Trump, Including 2 Wildcards<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times<\/a> (emphasis ours),<\/em><\/p>\n

As former President Donald Trump\u2019s polling lead over his Republican rivals has come to look insurmountable, more than 40 names have bubbled up in speculation about his pick for vice president in the 2024 election.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are talking about Trump VP picks because they recognize the primary is over and has been for quite some time<\/strong>,\u201d Jason Meister, a New York-based adviser to the former president, told The Epoch Times. \u201cTrump is polling stronger than he did in 2016 and 2020. He\u2019s surging with blacks, independents, and younger Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Illustration by The Epoch Times, Richard Drew\/AP Photo, Madalina Vasiliu\/The Epoch Times, Joe Raedle\/Getty Images, Shutterstock)<\/a><\/p>\n

Nearly 63 percent of would-be voters say they favor President Trump as the GOP presidential nominee<\/strong>, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average.<\/a><\/p>\n

That compares with about 11 percent support each for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as President Trump\u2019s ambassador to the United Nations.<\/p>\n

President Trump\u2019s dominance in the polls has persisted in spite of\u2014or, some say, because of\u2014the \u201clawfare\u201d being waged against him. The former president faces 91 criminal charges that threaten his freedom, civil cases aimed at his financial empire, and state-level efforts to boot him from 2024 ballots.<\/p>\n

Arguably, these precarious circumstances make it even more important to wisely choose a running mate, since a vice president must be prepared to step in if the president cannot, for some reason, fulfill his duties.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if the vice president doesn\u2019t assume the role of president, the position often serves as a steppingstone to the presidency.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence stand together during a campaign rally in Sunrise, Fla., on Nov. 26, 2019. (Joe Raedle\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Among the past 10 presidents, four previously served as vice president, including the incumbent, Democrat President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n

Shopping for the ideal vice president requires consideration of many variables. That person should possess political clout and experience and must embrace the presidential candidate\u2019s proposed policies. He or she also should be capable of drawing more supporters into the fold.<\/p>\n

In that vein, an ethnic minority or a female might make an advantageous vice president choice for President Trump, because such a person might bolster his support among those factions of voters.<\/p>\n

Many of his supporters bristle at the notion of a \u201ccheck-the-boxes\u201d choice. But savvy presidential candidates always seek to \u201cbalance\u201d the ticket and \u201cfill in gaps\u201d of their base, analysts say. Factors such as home state, ideology, and personal characteristics come into play.<\/p>\n

Above all, President Trump has said he has one paramount requirement: his confidence that the person will do a good job.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whomever he chooses, a good vice president cannot be overly charismatic and upstage the top of the ticket. This chosen leader also must be capable of being subordinate to the president.<\/p>\n

On top of all that, the running mate\u2019s personality must mesh well with the presidential candidate.<\/p>\n

Opinions All Over the Board<\/h2>\n

When choosing a running mate, an overarching principle should be \u201cfirst, do no harm,\u201d according to Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida. He said it\u2019s \u201cthe political equivalent of the Hippocratic oath that doctors take,\u201d and it simply means that a vice presidential candidate cannot be a person who might \u201cdrag the ticket down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The choice of a running mate seems to have little effect on whether a candidate becomes the presidential nominee or wins the presidency,<\/strong> Mr. Jewett said.<\/p>\n

Still, many voters do pay at least some attention to the second name on the ticket. And, to some degree, they do judge presidential candidates by the company they keep. Voters see the vice presidential selection as \u201ca sign of the presidential candidate\u2019s judgment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A woman votes in the Democratic presidential primary election at a polling place on Super Tuesday in Herndon, Va., on March 3, 2020. (Samuel Corum\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

These are among the reasons people start buzzing about who might make a good running mate fairly early in an election cycle.<\/p>\n

Speculation about President Trump\u2019s possible running mate began more than two years ago\u2014almost three years in advance of the Republican National Convention, where delegates will choose their nominee for the November ballot.<\/p>\n

Customarily, presidential candidates announce their choice of a running mate a few days before the convention\u2019s start; the GOP convention is set for July 15\u201318 in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

Although President Trump and his team have said they aren\u2019t ready to talk about potential running mates, voters wonder who will make the cut\u2014and some have begun voicing opinions about who they prefer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Dec. 13, 2023, Newsweek magazine reported that Mr. DeSantis prevailed as the No. 1 vice president choice among 1,500 voters surveyed,<\/a> drawing 25 percent support from people who said they would vote for President Trump.<\/p>\n

But a few days after that poll\u2019s release, Mr. DeSantis ranked toward the bottom of a different survey<\/a> at Turning Point Action\u2019s \u201cAmericaFest 2023\u201d in Arizona. Among the 1,113 attendees who responded to the questions, 81 percent said they were Republican; more than half were over age 50, and one-fifth of them were under age 30.<\/p>\n

When asked whom they favored as a running mate for President Trump, 35 percent named former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson. Only 6 percent named Mr. DeSantis.<\/p>\n

(Left) Former Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson. (Center) Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. (Right) Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Marco Bello\/Reuters, Madalina Vasiliu\/The Epoch Times)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy was the sole would-be vice president who finished in the top three slots in both of those polls. He drew 16 percent support in the Newsweek survey and 26 percent in the AmericaFest poll.<\/p>\n

Although Ms. Haley\u2019s 19 percent share ranked her second in the Newsweek survey, she was decidedly unpopular with the AmericaFest crowd. The audience<\/a> booed and jeered when her name was mentioned onstage; the poll showed that only 2 percent wanted her as President Trump\u2019s running mate.<\/p>\n

Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Ramaswamy, and Ms. Haley have all publicly stated they have no desire to be second-in-command. So have a number of other people whose names have been mentioned.<\/p>\n

And, at a Michigan speech<\/a> in September 2023, President Trump said he saw little running mate potential among the dozen or so candidates who were then vying for the Republican presidential nomination.<\/p>\n

Still, people who said they were uninterested in an offer might change their minds. So could President Trump.<\/p>\n

Former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer, in Clinton Township, Mich., on Sept, 27, 2023. (Scott Olson\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The Epoch Times has compiled a list of potential Trump running mates based on political betting odds, surveys, political scientists\u2019 opinions, online chatter, and interviews with insiders.<\/p>\n

The list includes many of the most-talked-about possibilities\u2014plus a few more obscure picks that just might appeal to President Trump. After all, his eventual 2016 running mate, former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, was an unexpected choice.<\/p>\n

Possible Picks<\/h2>\n

US Sen. Tim Scott<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For several reasons, the South Carolina lawmaker could bolster President Trump\u2019s candidacy more than many of the other names that have been proposed in recent months.<\/p>\n

Mr. Scott is passionate about sharing his religious faith, endearing him to evangelical Christians<\/strong>\u2014an important voting bloc that also found President Trump\u2019s former vice president, Mr. Pence, appealing.<\/p>\n

Because he is the only black Republican senator in Congress, Mr. Scott also might help draw more black voters, a group that has traditionally voted Democrat but has recently been shifting<\/a> more toward President Trump and other Republicans.<\/p>\n

Although Mr. Scott often delivers powerful speeches, they\u2019re tempered by a Southern-gentlemanlike, more genteel demeanor, Mr. Bullock said, which would provide a counterbalance to the brash native New York style of President Trump.<\/p>\n

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) speaks at a town hall meeting in Ankeny, Iowa, on July 27, 2023. (Scott Olson\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Mr. Scott, 58, comes across as \u201cyounger and more vigorous\u201d than President Trump, Mr. Bullock said.<\/p>\n

While campaigning for the presidency earlier this year, Mr. Scott largely avoided attacking President Trump. And the former president, known for aiming barbs at his opponents, had instead praised Mr. Scott.<\/p>\n

Both men used the phrase \u201cgood guy\u201d to describe each other in July 2023 amid persistent rumors about the Trump ticket.<\/p>\n

Mr. Scott bowed out of the race in November 2023<\/strong>. One political insider told The Epoch Times that he had direct knowledge that Mr. Scott expressed gratitude to President Trump for a running mate offer but felt he had to turn it down.<\/p>\n

The Epoch Times attempted to reach Mr. Scott for comment in late December, but his staff said he was unavailable during the Christmas-New Year\u2019s holiday break.<\/p>\n

Mr. Scott wasn\u2019t listed as a vice presidential candidate in the Newsweek poll, and he drew less than 1 percent support from the AmericaFest crowd.<\/p>\n

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ms. Haley\u2019s former gubernatorial and foreign policy experience, along with her status as a female and the daughter of immigrants from India, make her a logical pick\u2014at least on paper. Both Mr. Jewett and Charles Bullock III, a political science professor at the University of Georgia, concur on those points.<\/p>\n

But in reality, President Trump risks turning off many supporters if he dares to choose her.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recently, media outlets began running a flurry of articles themed \u201cTrump is secretly considering Haley as VP.\u201d The reception from Trumpworld has been frosty.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 23, 2023, as such stories were circulating, Trump ally Roger Stone posted<\/a> on Truth Social: \u201cFact: The United States has never had a VP nicknamed \u2018Birdbrain’\u2013and never will,\u201d referring to a nickname that President Trump bestowed upon Ms. Haley.<\/p>\n

Former U.N. ambassador and 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign town hall event in Lebanon, N.H., on Dec. 28, 2023. (Joseph Prezioso\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Mr. Meister said: \u201cI can\u2019t predict who Trump will ultimately choose as his running mate, but I can tell you who it can\u2019t be. It can\u2019t be Haley.\u201d<\/p>\n

He and others see Ms. Haley as a \u201cneoconservative<\/a>,\u201c or a \u201dneoliberal\u201d who is too closely tied to the entrenched political establishment that President Trump has said he wants to dismantle. Several say they flat-out distrust her.<\/p>\n

The former president\u2019s son Donald Trump Jr. emphatically opposes<\/a> her.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But Lara Trump, the wife of President Trump\u2019s other adult son, Eric Trump, refused to rule out Ms. Haley.<\/p>\n

Still, many of President Trump\u2019s supporters dislike Ms. Haley so much that they swear they’ll vote against any ticket that includes the name \u201cHaley.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a Dec. 27, 2023, interview<\/a> with journalist John Solomon, President Trump disputed reports that he was considering Ms. Haley for a running mate. He said he wasn\u2019t considering anyone for the job because he is focused on winning the upcoming caucuses, which begin on Jan. 15 in Iowa.<\/p>\n

However, the former president did concede that he and Ms. Haley have gotten along well, even though he considers her \u201csomewhat disloyal\u201d for breaking her promise not to run against him. \u201cBut that\u2019s a politician,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

President Trump \u201cdoesn\u2019t seem to have the same sort of animosity against her\u201d as he does against Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Jewett said.<\/p>\n

Mr. Bullock noted that Ms. Haley, 51, would provide a more youthful contrast to President Trump, who is 77, <\/strong>and his presumed Democrat opponent, 81-year-old President Biden.<\/p>\n

Other points in Ms. Haley\u2019s favor: She hasn\u2019t attacked President Trump as strongly as some of her fellow Republican challengers. And she has publicly stated, more than once, that she would pardon<\/a> President Trump if she becomes president and he is convicted of a criminal charge.<\/p>\n

However, she has recently intensified her criticisms<\/a> of President Trump, saying he shouldn\u2019t be president because chaos follows him.<\/p>\n

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By starting his candidacy at age 37, the millionaire millennial became the youngest Republican to ever seek the Oval Office.<\/p>\n

Although he lacks experience, the Harvard and Yale graduate brings energy, intelligence, and courage to the table.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the first GOP presidential debate on Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee, Mr. Ramaswamy demonstrated that he\u2019s willing to be bold.<\/p>\n

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy talks to members of the media in the spin room following the first debate of the GOP primary season, in Milwaukee, Wis., on Aug. 23, 2023. (Scott Olson\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Without hesitation, he raised his hand to indicate that he would support President Trump if he were to be criminally convicted yet became the Republican nominee. The other GOP candidates onstage followed Mr. Ramaswamy\u2019s lead, one by one, some rather sheepishly.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ramaswamy has denounced the weaponization of the justice system against President Trump. He also has decried numerous states\u2019 attempts to ban President Trump from the ballot based on claims that he incited an \u201cinsurrection\u201d during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. Mr. Ramaswamy vowed to withdraw his own name from any ballot that excludes President Trump; he has challenged his fellow candidates to do the same.<\/p>\n

In addition, Mr. Ramaswamy publicly criticized Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel as an ineffective leader and called for her resignation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Ramaswamy recently completed his second round of \u201cThe Full Grassley,\u201d making stops in all 99 of Iowa\u2019s counties, a maneuver that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) pioneered. Still, he has been lagging in Iowa polls.<\/p>\n

Among the second-tier GOP presidential hopefuls, Mr. Ramaswamy has run \u201cthe most interesting and original campaign,\u201d in the opinion<\/a> of Roger Simon, a columnist for The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

Many people, including Mr. Simon, have said that Mr. Ramaswamy has a bright future in politics, possibly as a member of a Trump administration\u2014even if not as vice president.<\/p>\n

Besides being a fan favorite in two polls about potential Trump running mates, Mr. Ramaswamy ranks highly among some political betting sites, such as OddsChecker.com.<\/p>\n

And, he, like Ms. Haley, was born to parents who emigrated from India, a background that could appeal to ethnic minorities if President Trump were to choose him as a running mate.<\/p>\n

\n

Still, Mr. Ramaswamy has no prior political or governmental experience. But neither did President Trump before his presidency.<\/p>\n

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ms. Noem, 52, has risen in prominence during the past several years even though her state has next-to-zero gravitational pull in U.S. politics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

One reason she gained attention: She refused to impose lockdowns during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, saying she trusted citizens to make wise choices for themselves.<\/p>\n

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) poses for pictures after riding in the Legends Ride for charity near Sturgis, S.D., on Aug. 9, 2021. (Scott Olson\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Ms. Noem served in Congress for six years and understands the D.C. Beltway. She also served on the Armed Services Committee and, in that role, observed President Trump\u2019s leadership first hand.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s one reason she cited when she endorsed<\/a> him in September 2023 at a rally in Rapid City, South Dakota. She also pledged to do everything in her power to help President Trump win back the White House.<\/p>\n

Talk about her as a possible running mate choice accelerated after the words \u201cTrump Noem 2024\u201d flashed briefly on a video screen at the rally<\/strong>. And now, such speculation is renewed because Ms. Noem is set to campaign for the former president in Iowa during his pre-caucus blitz.<\/p>\n

She was elected in 2018 as South Dakota\u2019s first female governor. Last year, she won reelection with \u201cthe largest vote total in the history of South Dakota,\u201d her online biography says.<\/p>\n

Mr. Jewett put her in the category of \u201cpoliticians and sort of traditional candidates\u201d but noted, \u201cShe’d bring that diversity to the ticket by virtue of being a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

At one point in late December 2023, Ms. Noem, Mr. Ramaswamy, and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) were in a three-way tie as betting favorites to gain the running mate spot. But in the Newsweek poll, Ms. Noem drew only 3 percent support; she registered less than 1 percent in the AmericaFest survey.<\/p>\n

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cDoug who?\u201d was the question many people asked after Mr. Burgum declared his presidential candidacy in June 2023. He also hails from a low-profile Great Plains state and struggled to gain attention during his campaign, which he ended in early December.<\/p>\n

Republican presidential candidate North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and his wife Kathryn Burgum recite the pledge of allegiance during a campaign stop in Ankeny, Iowa, on June 9, 2023. (Scott Olson\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

But during that six-month span, Mr. Burgum found a creative way to qualify for two GOP presidential debates\u2014and made a positive impression onstage, drawing glowing remarks from President Trump, who has skipped all of the RNC-sponsored debates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After the first debate in August 2023, President Trump, commenting on potential running mate picks, told Newsmax<\/a> that Mr. Burgum is \u201cgreat\u201d and said, \u201cI respect him a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more here…<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nThu, 01\/04\/2024 – 21:20<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/political\/potential-running-mates-trump-including-2-wildcards<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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