With primaries throughout the US continuing and Donald Trump remaining as the top GOP contender, it’s about time for him to make a real choice for Vice President. He’s been whittling down his list, with each potential candidate showing up at his estate in Florida for an interview of sorts.
And we have the scoop on what Trump had to say about each of them…
In summary of all of them, Trump stuck to his usual dialog: “Great people—the best. Great people. Nobody could find such great people to be vice presidents. Yeah, maybe a few improvements to make, but any of them would be great.”
So, who are these “great people?”
First up is South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
While a bit of a disaster in the news department of late, all Trump seems to really care about is that she is loyal to him. According to Axios, she was described as “somebody that I love. She’s been with me, a supporter of mine and I’ve been a supporter of her for a long time.”
She also clearly wants the job.
Ohio Senator JD Vance was mentioned next.
For him, the biggest issue was his lack of loyalty, at least at the beginning. Trump remarked that Vance had once called Trump a “total disaster.” However, Trump has gotten to “know him a little bit… As a non-politician, he’s becoming one of the great senators.”
Then comes Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Trump commented that his name “is coming up a lot for vice president.” But like a few others, he was once an opponent of Trump’s. Trump even called him “Little Marco” in 2016.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina was also a Trump opponent, as he ran against Trump for about six months last year. However, when he dropped out, he immediately pledged his support to Trump and has been “unbelievable” as a “surrogate.”
As for Utah Senator Mike Lee, Trump loved his haircut. But he also says he’s a “good man, too.”
What he liked most about Tennessee’s Marsha Blackburn is her energy. When remembering her 2018 campaign, Trump said she was “like the Energizer bunny.”
Representative Michael Waltz of Florida was Trump’s top pick for all things military-related. Representative Wesley Hunt from Texas was described as a friend with “the best commercials… beautiful family.”
Elise Stefanik of New York was called a “very smart person,” and Representative Byron Donalds of Florida was noted to add “diversity.”
The only other candidate listed was Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota. Of him, Trump said he found out he has been a longtime supporter of Trump and “he’s a very rich man.”
The question now will be who Trump will choose.
Clearly, loyalty is a big thing for him, which quite a few potentials have going for them. But there are also other things to consider as well.
Burgum and Donalds are wealthy, making either a good choice to keep the Trump ticket a bit more independent. Then there is also the diversity question: would Trump do well in choosing someone of either the opposite gender or race than he? If so, this would be Noem, Stefanik, Donalds, and Scott good contenders.
As you know, trying to guess what Trump will do won’t be easy, if not impossible. I think we’ll just have to wait and see.
