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Donald Trump, the former US president, is making a third consecutive run for the White House. But there’s a job opening this time: his running mate. No one thought it would be former vice-president Mike Pence after the pair clashed over the 2020 election and insurrection on January 6. Trump, a 76-year-old straight, white man who needs to expand his appeal, may look to a person of color, a woman or a youth for 2024 (or all of the above) or he may not. Here are 10 potential contenders:
Tucker Carlson
The Fox News host arrived last summer in Iowa, the first front-runner in the Republican presidential nomination process, prompting speculation about his political ambitions. He is a kindred spirit of Trump who has been pandering to liberals, placating Russian president Vladimir Putin and promoting the far-right theory of great replacement that western elites import immigrant voters to replace white people. But Carlson will make sure to turn off moderates and independents.
Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis. Photo: Amy Beth Bennett/AP
Some Make America Great Again voters would like to see them join forces on a dream ticket with Maga. Florida governor DeSantis once made a campaign ad in which he read Trumps book about getting rich, The Art of the Deal, to one of his sons and encouraged them to build a wall along the US-Mexico border by stacking toy bricks. But Trump has now dubbed him Ron DeSanctimonious and the pair seem too similar to run together: less yin and yang than yin and yin.
Tulsi Gabbard
The former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate is trying to launch a new career as a rightwing media personality. He campaigned for election-denier Kari Lake and other Republicans in the midterm elections. His provocative challenges to western orthodoxy toward dictators like Putin and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad are likely to rub off on Trump. He may also decide he needs a female running mate to make himself less toxic to the women outside the city.
Marjorie Taylor Greene
The far-right congressman from Georgia characterizes the age of Trumpism with racist, antisemitic and Islamophobic statements, indications of support for political violence and wild conspiracy theories such as the claim that a space laser that controlled by the Jews started a wildfire in California. He recently suggested that, if he had led the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, the mob would have been armed and victorious in its efforts to prevent the certification of Joe Bidens 2020 victory (when he later said it was a mockery). He has little experience but his brutal campaigning style is right up Trumps street.
Nikki Haley
The former governor of South Carolina is Trump’s first ambassador to the United Nations. He turned his back on him in the January 6 uprising but, like many other Republicans, it was easy to forgive him. He also proved willing to campaign for Georgia Senate nominee Herschel Walker despite his glaring incompetence and scandals. The Trumps campaign, meanwhile, could view the daughter of Sikh immigrants from India as the perfect foil to charges of sexism and racism.
Lake Kari
Lake Kari Photo: Jim Urquhart/Reuters
He was the breakout Republican star of the midterms until election day when he lost the race for governor of Arizona. The charismatic former TV anchor was endorsed by Trump and found a way to repeat his election lies while being almost believable. Despite his hatred of losers, Trump has hosted Lake at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida twice since his defeat. It’s no surprise to hear from him that he went straight to central casting.
Kristi Noem
The South Dakota governor has become another familiar face on the conservative conference and media circuit, railing against targets like the coronavirus pandemic lockdown and the Chinese Communist party. In July, he told CNN that he would support Trump in 2024 and would be surprised if he asked him to be his running mate. Noem has experience in elected office and could give Trump a new shot at credibility with Christians, rural Americans and women.
Sarah Sanders
He is unquestionably loyal as Trumps White House press secretary, promoting his agenda and insisting that he is misunderstood by critics. Last month he was elected governor of Arkansas, following in the footsteps of his father, Mike Huckabee, creator of The Kids Guide to President Trump. Sanders and Huckabee, a former pastor, could help Trump shore up the Christian evangelical vote against potential challengers like Pence.
Tim Scott
Tim Scott. Photo: Wade Vandervort/AFP/Getty Images
The South Carolina senator is reportedly eyeing his own presidential run. The Trump campaign may consider Scott a compelling choice, hoping he will neutralize accusations of racism and rally Blacks for Trump. He told the Republican national convention in 2020 that his grandfather suffered the humiliation of being forced out of school as a third-grader to pick cotton and never learned to read or write. Our family went to Congress in one lifetime.
Elise Stefanik
Trump values honesty and few have been more honest than congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York, the number three Republican in the House of Representatives. Once a moderate, he staunchly defended the former president during his impeachments and declared this year: I am ultra-Maga. And I’m proud of it. Shrugging off disappointing midterm results, he quickly endorsed Trump for 2024. He described him as a star and said: He looks like a great talent.
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Sources 2/ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/02/donald-trump-2024-vice-president-running-mate The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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