Who will be former President and likely 2024 GOP candidate Donald Trump’s Vice President candidate? Vivek Ramaswamy is obviously angling for the role, as shown by his debate performances, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been floated as an option, and rumors are increasingly cropping up suggesting that former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is in line to be the VP.
News on that comes from DC-focused news site Axios, which reported that while other names are still floating around in Trump’s camp for who the best VP would be, with JD Vance and Sarah Huckabee Sanders also being considered for the role, Melania is pressing for Tucker Carlson to be chosen.
According to Axios, Melania thinks that Carlson is the right choice because of his persona, as he would, she thinks, “make a powerful onstage extension of her husband” and help Trump do well on the campaign trail, an idea that makes sense given Tucker’s immense popularity with the MAGA base and name recognition with most Fox News watchers.
Axios also suggested that one of the main holdups to Trump picking Tucker is that he would “never pick someone who could outshine him” and, as Tucker almost certainly won’t be controlled by anyone, there’s that risk of Tucker outshining Trump. However, as Tucker and Trump still “talk a lot,” the chance remains that Tucker is going to be Trump’s VP.
Twitter personality Benny Johnson added, in a post on X, that Trump is reportedly “thrilled” about that idea. Trump, for his part, when asked if he would choose Tucker in early November, said, “I like Tucker a lot. I guess I would consider him. He’s got great common sense.” However, he has not yet said anything more definite about his VP pick or the potential that he will consider Tucker for it.
While Tucker has not commented on the matter, it is unclear if he would want to be the VP. Conservative X personality Shawn Farash, tweeting about the issue, said, “Tucker Carlson says he does not want to be Trump’s VP. It’s the right thing for him, and is the right move for Trump, too. Tucker Carlson as VP is at best a nice thing to fantasize about, but in all reality, it just isn’t right. Trump’s VP, for strategic purposes, should be someone who can help expand the party. I am not sure Tucker would be able to fulfill that at this stage in the game.”
That tweet has not been confirmed from anyone in Tucker’s camp or Tucker himself, though it could make sense in the context of Tucker’s having not yet gotten involved in electoral politics and having remained focused on his show, first on FNC and now on X, instead. But, given the events at which Tucker has been appearing alongside Trump, such as a recent UFC fight, the Farash tweet could be incorrect and Tucker and Trump could be considering joining forces.
What Farahs might have been referencing is a recent speech in which Tucker said, “God would have to yell at me very loud,” when asked about the Axios report claiming Melania wants him to be the VP. He continued, “I don’t know her, really. To go from being, like, a well-paid street corner schizophrenic to, like, a politician — it’s just kind of hard to envision.”
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