With former President Donald Trump leaps and bounds ahead of his GOP primary rivals, some see the others in the race as auditioning to be his potential running mate.
But a Republican who wasn’t on the debate stage last month is now making the case to be Trump’s VP pick, assuming he becomes the GOP nominee.
When asked on Thursday in an interview with Newsmax whether she’d consider the position, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem noted that “it’s early to be having these conversations.”
Pressed for an answer, Noem said she’d “absolutely” do it “in a heartbeat just because you respect the position and the person who asks you to do something and then see if you really believe that you could make a difference.”
Noem then made the case for why she would be a great running mate.
“Trump needs a strong partner if he’s going to take back the White House,” she said. “And he’s going to need somebody who knows what it’s like to run a business, to be an employee, earn a paycheck, but also having a wife, mom, and grandma isn’t bad either. And I think that kind of perspective would weigh in very well on a lot of policy decisions.”
"President Trump needs a strong partner if he's going to take back the White House and he's going to need somebody who knows what it's like to run a business, to be an employee, earn a paycheck, but also having a wife, mom and a grandma isn't bad either." — @KristiNoem pic.twitter.com/D7h0xSnrr6
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) September 7, 2023
The governor is set to join Trump at a campaign rally in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Friday where she is reportedly expected to endorse him.
When asked whether he believes this will be the case, Trump said he doesn’t “know exactly,” but went on to praise her.
“I like her a lot. I think she’s great. Kristi’s done a great job," he said.