Washington DC: Donald Trump, the Republican Presidential candidate is yet to announce his running mate for the US Elections 2024. When the topic of running mate arose last week at a Manhatten Fundraiser, Trump gave high marks to contenders including North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and US Senator Tim Scott.
Some wealthy donors have also advised that Trump should select his primary rival, Nikky Haley as his running mate. Ties between the two leaders soured over Haley challenging Trump during the Republican primaries, but she served as his loyal UN Ambassador for two years when he was the US President.
Donald Trump had previously been interested in choosing a woman as his running mate for the November 5 election. Some of his allies in the party also told him that this was a good move as it would improve his image and standing among the female voters.
Trump’s attempt to make a great image among women voters was dented last week after his conviction in a New York trial where he was accused of covering up a payment meant to influence the 2016 election by silencing a porn star who alleged they had sex while he was married – a charge he denies.
Trump’s current VP list is short and includes all men, as per the nine people who have communicated with Trump or his team in recent weeks including donors, lobbyists and campaign operatives. Ohio U.S. Senator J.D. Vance and Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio have emerged as leading contenders for the vice presidential nod, said the nine people, who requested anonymity to recount private conversations.
Many of the people have said that Burgum and South Carolina’s Scott remain in contention, while US Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas and U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik of New York are dark horse contenders, two people said.
Three persons with knowledge of the situation claim that Trump’s staff has sent screening papers to leading candidates; NBC News was the first to report on this development. Sources informed Reuters that among the individuals who got the materials were Rubio, Burgum, and Stefanik. Trump has said that there is a good chance that he will announce a running mate at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee in mid-July. His campaign declined to share specifics on the search.
Trump’s senior advisor Brian Huges said “Anyone claiming to know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying, unless the person is named Donald J. Trump”. Throughout his term in office as president and during the 2024 election campaign Trump has proven to be significantly more popular among men than women. Many on the Trump team are eager to close this gender gap.
Last September, Trump expressed his admiration for the “concept” of a female running mate in an interview with NBC. Trump wants to get along with his potential vice president on a personal level, according to two persons who recently spoke with him.
It was also reported that the former president thinks a candidacy is more likely to be seriously harmed by a No. 2 pick than significantly helped by one. Consequently, they added, he is searching for a steady hand rather than making a potentially hazardous decision that may jeopardize his hopes of unseating President Joe Biden in the White House.
Joe Biden is running again with Vice President Kamla Harris who is the first woman ever to serve that role. Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, publicly broke with Trump over the then-president’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and has said he will not endorse his former boss in the upcoming election.
South Dakota governor, Kristi Noem, came under heavy fire when she revealed in her autobiography that she had murdered a dog because of problems with obedience. U.S. Senator Katie Britt of Alabama was criticized for appearing prepared and having an uneven tone in her broadcast response to Vice President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech. Requests for comment from Noem and Britt were not answered.
Many of Trump’s campaign finances have pushed him to opt for Nikki Haley as his running mate candidate for the elections who is a more traditional conservative who has longstanding ties with the donor community. Haley is one of the few Republicans who was silent when Donald Trump was convicted in the Hush Money trial. She also said after backing out from the Republican Presidential race that she would vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 US Elections.
