Trump Reveals 2024 Running Mate Could Be One of His GOP Opponents

Trump Reveals 2024 Running Mate Could Be One of His GOP Opponents
Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) during a working session regarding the Opportunity Zones provided by tax reform in the Oval Office of the White House February 14, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted a group of local elected officials, entrepreneurs, and investors to discuss "how the 'Opportunity Zones' designation in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will spur investment and job growth in distressed communities." Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Jack Phillips
Updated:

Former President Trump revealed Sunday that his pick for vice president or cabinet members could be one of his primary opponents if he wins the White House in 2024.

Speaking on “Sunday Morning Futures” on Fox News, Mr. Trump suggested businessman Vivek Ramaswamy or Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) could be his running mate. So far, Mr. Trump has directed his criticism toward Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP primary, while Mr. DeSantis has suggested that he wouldn’t want to be Mr. Trump’s vice president in a recent interview.

When asked by Fox host Maria Bartiromo about whether his running mate could come from the Republican 2024 primary, Trump said, “Possibly.”

“I think Vivek has done a very good job, frankly. I think some others have done a good job,” the former president said. “You have some good people on the stage actually. I think you have some very talented people,” he also said. “I’ve been impressed by some of them. Some of them I’m very friendly with, actually.”

He added that “I think you have good potential Cabinet members, too,” without specifying.

When asked about Mr. Scott, the former president had praise for the Republican senator.

“I think he’s a very good guy. We did opportunity zones together … Tim is very good,” Mr. Trump said. “I mean, I could see Tim doing something with the administration, but he’s right now campaigning, and I’m sure Tim and everybody else would say I’m only interested in one, but Tim is a very talented guy and you have other very talented people.”

Mr. Trump wasn’t asked about whether he would consider former Vice President Mike Pence, who entered the race several weeks ago. Since early 2021, Mr. Trump has been sometimes critical of his former deputy for not taking action during the Joint Session of Congress on Jan. 6 during the presidential certification process.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy delivers remarks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington on June 23, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy delivers remarks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington on June 23, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Although the GOP 2024 field has widened, Mr. Trump, who was arrested on federal charges last month, is easily leading the pack. A Morning Consult poll released last week shows the former commander-in-chief at 56 percent, or about 39 percentage points ahead of Mr. DeSantis, who stood at 17 percent.

Mr. Ramasamy, meanwhile, polled at 8 percent, representing an increase in recent weeks. Mr. Pence had 7 percent support, the poll showed.

A RealClearPolitics average of recent months that Mr. Trump, with 53 percent support, is ahead of Mr. DeSantis, who has 20.6 percent, by about 33 points.

As for Mr. DeSantis, the governor said over the weekend that he would consider Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, as his running mate. It came after Mr. Trump complained about the governor for showing what he described as disloyalty to him after she appeared to support Mr. DeSantis.

“Of course,” Mr. DeSantis said when asked whether he would consider the second-term Republican. “I mean, she’s one of the top public servants in America.”

Last week, Mr. Trump criticized Mrs. Reynolds, who is popular among the state’s GOP base, for her seemingly cozy relationship with Mr. DeSantis while stating her public neutrality as the lead Republican figure in the state that hosts the lead-off presidential caucuses in less than six months. Mrs. Reynolds has appeared with other GOP White House prospects, but has moderated conversations with Mr. DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis, while also attending Mr. Trump’s first campaign event in Iowa last March.

On the former president’s social media platform, Truth Social, the former president took credit for opening the governorship to Reynolds, who stepped into the role after Republican Gov. Terry Branstad became U.S. ambassador to China during the Mr. Trump administration. “Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’” he wrote, adding he would not invite her to his campaign events.

And last week, Mr. DeSantis proclaimed in an interview that he wouldn’t want to be Mr. Trump’s vice president should he win.

“I don’t think I’m a No. 2 guy. I think I’m a leader, governor of Florida. I’ve accomplished a lot,” Mr. DeSantis said in an interview with the Wisconsin Right Now podcast. “I think I could do more staying there than being VP, which doesn’t really have any authority.”

But Mr. DeSantis indicated that he would support Mr. Trump if he wins the GOP nominee. “I am going to support the Republican nominee,” he said when asked about whether he would support the ex-president.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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