Though former President Donald Trump is so far running the most successful of the pre-primary races among the vast GOP field, he is yet to announce who his vice presidential pick is. Some suspect fellow candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is angling for the job, others think it could be firebrand Matt Gaetz, and still others think Trump will need to pick someone more conventional to win over the Establishment GOP voters and donors.
Fox News host Maria Bartiromo floated a new name, however, asking close Trump ally Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida if he had considered the possibility of being Trump’s Vice President pick. Rep. Donalds hinted that he would like to be picked, but that he also knows the final decision is up to Trump, from whom he’s yet to hear about the matter.
Bartiromo introduced the matter, asking, “Congressman, I want to switch gears real quick. Ask you about 2024, because I know some people would have liked to see you get the gavel and become Speaker, but others say, well, maybe you have a different road ahead. Would you accept the vice president position if Donald Trump asked you to be his partner?”
Donalds responded first by congratulating Mike Johnson, saying, “Well, look, Maria, first of all, I’ll tell you first Speaker Mike Johnson, I am happy for him. He’s going to do a tremendous job leading the House of Representatives. You have a man of impeccable character, impeccable integrity, and the members have rallied around him.”
Continuing, he hinted that he’d like to be picked by Trump for the VP slot but also wants what is best for the country, meaning whatever most helps Trump win. He said, “We’re going to get back to work and do our jobs with respect to being potentially on the ticket. That’s really up to the president. I have no control over that. The only thing I’ll say is I just want to do whatever I can to get our country on track. That’s what I’ve always been committed to. So no matter what the role is, it’s about getting our country back on track.”
Watch the interview here:
Trump’s Vice President decision wasn’t the only thing Bartiromo and Donalds discussed. They also discussed the impeachment inquiry and allegations of corruption surrounding Joe Biden, about which Donalds later tweeted, “When it comes to Joe Biden, the crime AND the cover-up are equally as bad. Voters put House Republicans in charge, and we’ve worked tirelessly to follow the evidence and expose pervasive criminal activity within the Biden Family. Accountability is coming.”
When it comes to Joe Biden, the crime AND the cover-up are equally as bad.
Voters put House Republicans in charge, and we've worked tirelessly to follow the evidence and expose pervasive criminal activity within the Biden Family.
Accountability is coming. pic.twitter.com/lDUkQYA6Y7
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) October 30, 2023
Trump, for his part, has hinted that he might pick South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. Speaking of her during an interview, he said, “I think she’s fantastic. She’s been a great governor. She gave me a very full-throated endorsement, a beautiful endorsement. It’s been a very good state for me, and certainly, she would be one of the people I would consider for something else, maybe. We have a lot of great people in the Republican Party.”
He continued, “You always do a little bit, but I don’t think it’s time. I want to win, and, you know, it’s very interesting about running mates, when you get down to a vice president, they said, ‘Nobody has ever made that kind of a difference.’ It’s still about the person that’s going to be president.”
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