Former and potentially future President Donald Trump participated in a Fox News town hall on Tuesday night, during which he was asked about who might be on his shortlist to be his running mate. Not only are some former primary challengers included on that list, but also a former Democrat as well.
Host Laura Ingraham pointed to how "various names came up" of possible running mates when audience members were asked, with names such as Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida. As Ingraham also mentioned that there is "a big presence here for Tulsi Gabbard," the crowd applauded. The crowd also applauded when Ingraham shared she meant to mention South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as well.
Gabbard, now an Independent, was formerly a Democrat who represented Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District until 2021. She even ran for president herself in 2020 as a Democrat, hoping to be the one to challenge Trump.
Those names are all ones we've heard before, though Gabbard's name is a newer one. Sarah covered last week how Trump and the former Democrat were reportedly in talks.
As Ingraham mentioned, DeSantis also made headlines of his own on Tuesday night, as he headed to South Carolina ahead of the state's Republican primary on Saturday. Although former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has committed to staying in the race, and hopes for a much-needed boost there. Trump is leading by over 25 points in her own state.
Trump confirmed "they are" on his shortlist, though he did share that "the one thing that always surprises me is that the VP choice has absolutely no impact," noting "it's whoever the president is, it just seems." As he talked about it further with Ingraham, though, he did acknowledge it's "very important," especially since he can only serve one more term if he is reelected in November. Speaking of that importance, Trump noted "you would like to get someone who could help you, from the voter's standpoint."
Going back to addressing those names just mentioned, Trump offered "honestly all those people are good, they're all solid." He also emphasized his desire to have "people with common sense," especially as "there's so many things happening in this country that just don't make sense." Trump went on to warn against an open border, high-interest rates, having only electric vehicles without a choice, a strong military, education, and wanting to "have things that can really make our country great again." He especially emphasized concerns with the border.
Various trends have appeared on X in response to the town hall event, including "Tulsi Gabbard."
Given that Trump, DeSantis, and Donalds are all from Florida, if Trump were to pick either of them, he or his running mate--or any other running mate from Florida--would likely have to change his state of residency in order to abide by Article II of the Constitution.
🚨BREAKING: Trump confirms Vivek is on his VP shortlist: "Yeah... All of those people are good. They're all solid." pic.twitter.com/liUb3Ksgnz
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 21, 2024