In less than six weeks, voting is set to start in the 2024 Republican primary, and the only top contender is former President Trump.
So the only question remains: who will be his vice president pick?
Rumors continue to swirl that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem might be Trump's choice, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, or even Arizona Republican Kari Lake.
However, in an interesting twist, Trump's wife, Melania, has reportedly lobbied for one of the most well-known figures in conservative media: Tucker Carlson.
According to a report from Axios, Melania thinks Carlson "would make a powerful onstage extension of her husband."
Carlson's addition to her husband's team might also ramp up Melania's appearances on the campaign trail, which she has only made several so far this year.
When asked last month about the ousted Fox News host joining Trump's election campaign, the 45th president said he likes "Tucker a lot" and that "He's got great common sense."
The Axios report details who, in addition to his V.P. pick, could make it into Trump's close inner White House circle:
The idea of Tucker Carlson has been discounted by many people close to Trump because they assume he'd never pick someone who could outshine him. And Trump's staff is convinced (correctly) that Carlson can't be controlled. But the two men talk a lot. Carlson told Axios that [Stephen] Miller would be his first choice to lead the Justice Department: "He's a serious person and he understands how the system works." [Steven Bannon] could be the next White House chief of staff, an idea Carlson and a few others are pushing hard with the former president. Carlson tells Axios that Bannon will diligently implement promises after Trump loses interest. "Steve believes: If you said we're building a wall, we're building a wall," Carlson said.
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The report comes as the latest round of polling reveals that the 2024 election match-up will most likely be between Trump and President Joe Biden— with the Republican having a leading edge.
A Morning Consult poll found that he has a 50-point lead over his GOP rivals, with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL.) trailing second in line at 14 percent. Meanwhile, polling from the New York Times and Siena College released last month shows Trump surpassing Biden in five out of six battleground states.
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