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Donald Trump's 2024 VP race turns into an open audition in New Hampshire
While Donald Trump primarily attends major rallies, his representatives at smaller gatherings are becoming crucial in helping him maintain his hold on the GOP.
“VP, VP, VP," shouted the crowd as potential contenders for former US President Donald Trump's 2024 running mate pick have been appearing across New Hampshire to extend their support, making the run-up for the Tuesday's Republican presidential primary looks like an audition.
On Saturday, Trump left room for speculation after he stated that he "may or may not release something" on his vice presidential pick during the next few months. "The person that I think I like is a very good person, pretty standard. I think people won't be that surprised, but I would say there's probably a 25% chance it would be that person," the Republican front-runner told Fox News.
While Trump primarily attends major rallies, his representatives at smaller gatherings are becoming crucial in helping him maintain his hold on the GOP. They are also promoting themselves and demonstrating that loyalty matters the most to the ex-US president.
Last week, three legislators who are on Trump's vice presidential short list -- Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) -- encouraged Trump's supporters to vote in New Hampshire while highlighting their personal ties to him.
Donald Trump calls Tim Scott a ‘great guy’
During one of his rallies, Trump called Scott a “great guy” and that "he endorsed me."
He went on to point other South Carolina figures who have backed him, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Gov. Henry McMaster (R).
"Almost everybody in South Carolina has endorsed me. What does that tell you?" the former president added.
Meanwhile, Senator Scott, the most well-known Black Republicans in the country, hasn't ruled out the possibility of serving as Trump's running mate if he wins the Republican nomination for 2024.
According to Scott, he hopes that young people would "look to their future and believe that America is their oyster" and that "they can have whatever they want."
"You can take it any way you want," Scott replied when asked whether this indicated the door was wide open. He reiterated his desire to “make America and Americans believe in our future in a way that we do not today.”
Scott even accompanied Trump to New Hampshire from Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday.
Vance and Stefanik say they'd be happy to serve in a Trump admn
Stefanik presented Trump to supporters at a Concord, New Hampshire event on Friday, and visited a diner on Saturday morning to promote him, and then spoke to the ex-president's followers at his state office in Manchester.
Stefanik emphasised to the media and electorate that she was the first congresswoman to support Trump in this election season.
“I’m proud to be one of his strongest supporters, particularly at key moments,” she told media. Asked if she would consider being his VP, Stefanik said, “Of course I'd be honored, I've said that for a year, to serve in a future Trump administration in any capacity.”
Vance repeated Trump's criticism of the continuous attempts in Congress to come up with a bipartisan immigration and border security bill.
Reluctance to compromise on a border bill has been voiced by Trump and his most devoted congressional allies. Many Democrats have interpreted this move as a reluctance to grant President Joe Biden any more legislative victories prior to the election.
"If you're undecided, throw up your hand. I want to try to persuade you," Vance told a crowd in Kingston.
"I was not a Trump guy in 2015 and every time I talk to [Trump], he reminds me of that," he continued.
Who are the other potential candidates up for the VP job?
Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Senate candidate Kari Lake of Arizona, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia are among the other politicians who have made appearances in Iowa and New Hampshire to support Trump.
A day after withdrawing from the presidential race, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy joined Trump on stage in New Hampshire and gave a passionate speech while receiving cries of "VP" from the audience.
Senior campaign adviser Jason Miller remained silent on talk of possible running mates. However, he maintained that Trump's supporters in Iowa and New Hampshire "have drawn massive crowds and have all done a fantastic job of energizing voters to turn out for President Trump. So we’re very happy and very excited with both the jobs that they’ve all done but as well, the reception that they’ve all received."
Trump has already ruled out Indian-American Haley as 2024 running mate. At a Concord rally last week, he declared that his former ambassador to the United Nations is "not presidential timber."
