A lot of times a presidential candidate picks a running mate to balance out the different wings of the party. That is not the issue with Trump. He is a part of the party. John McLaughlin is one of the campaign pollsters. If he runs, his choice will be what he wants. This time it would be a more personal decision.
Trump hasn't made his bid official. He is expected to make a decision after the elections in 2020. He has been building a campaign-in-waiting that is already underway, and the question of a running mate is becoming more frequent.
He mentioned Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a possible running mate. Insiders who saw him interact with South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at his Mar-a-Lago club speculated about his intentions.
They are all begging me. The adviser who shared the account with POLITICO was an adviser to Trump.
Advisers and allies say that the issue of a running mate has taken on a new significance in Trump's mind as he stewes over his decision to pick Mike Pence in 2016 and watch Joe Biden become president. The Capitol rioters chanted "hang Mike Pence" after Trump said it was "common sense" that he was disloyal.
The considerations that led Trump to name Pence as his ticket mate in 2016 are no longer relevant, according to Trump's advisers. They think that Trump is more likely to use his instincts next time. If he runs in 2024, Trump will not rely on his daughter and son-in-law as much as he did last time.
Tony Fabrizio, Trump's lead pollster in 2016 and 2020, said that Trump has a lot of flexibility in who he would pick once he gets past loyalty and Trump going more with his gut.
He can choose to balance gender, race, ethnicity, and so on, but he's not necessarily looking to balance the ticket geographically. It could be anything from a Tim Scott in South Carolina to an Asian American in California. There are so many options. There is a lot of time to go.
One adviser described the vice president selection as a three-tiered process, with women, conservatives of color and a trusted adviser being the general lanes.
Scott, the first elected Black senator from the South since the Reconstruction era, met with Trump in Palm Beach.
One Republican observer in the room said it was warm. Scott was deferential without being gross. The president appreciated what he said. There was definitely chemistry there.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
Scott, who is running for reelection in 2022, has proved to be a prolific fundraiser, pulling in $8.4 million in the last quarter. He hasn't denied his interest in a presidential bid in 2024, but he has said he wouldn't run if Trump does. The senator from South Carolina is visiting other early presidential nominating states.
Roger Stone said that the shadow presidential campaigns from Scott and others are a sort of vice-presidential tryout for Trump.
This is a test. Stone said that Trump is paying attention. People who are running for president are also running for vice president. It is important to make it look like you are not running for president.
Hispanic voters are showing more signs of being up for grabs in key battlegrounds like Arizona, Nevada, Florida and Texas, and there is a belief that a Black running mate could eat into Democratic margins in key swing states.
Florida lieutenant governor Jeanette Nuez is seen as a future star by some of the Trump advisers. They say Trump liked her and praised her at his convention. Her public and political footprint have been limited under her opponent. The two men have a good relationship, but Trump sees the younger one as a potential rival.
Many in Trump circles said he was putting the governor in his place, not seriously floating him as a name, when he mused about picking him as a running mate.
Trump thinks he made DeSantis. Trump sees him as a competitor. One of Trump's advisers said that he wouldn't have someone with better numbers.
There is a quirk in the Constitution that could prevent a presidential candidate from getting the nod if their running mate hails from the same state.
The former president is less likely to care about Florida because he thinks it's Trump country after his three-point win last year. He is not as concerned about conservative turnout as he was in 2016 because of his standing with the party base.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Trump is aware that he had a problem with women voters and that he might look to strike a gender balance on his ticket. One adviser to Trump said that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn are both tough as nails and conservative.
The source said that Reynolds and Blackburn were in the hunt.
The former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor criticized Trump over the riot, and it appears that she has been frozen out. They say that there is little enthusiasm for South Dakota Gov. Noem, who was being advised by Trump's former campaign manager.
If Trump picks another white male as a running mate, those who know his thinking say it's likely that individual would play the role of a close adviser, a super chief of staff. One Republican who discussed the vice presidential issue with Trump recently said that MarkMeadows, Trump's last White House chief of staff, could be included.
A consigliere lane for vice president is possible, according to the source. There were times when he was in that role. No one wants to admit it. I observed it. January 6 changed everything in that relationship.
Trump's former acting national security director, Ric Grenell, has risen in the estimation of Trump insiders, as has another potential presidential candidate, Mike Pompeo, who was Trump's secretary of state and Central Intelligence Agency director.
Don't sleep on him. Unlike anyone else, Trump doesn't want to be president. One adviser said that Grenell, who recently joined the board of directors for Trump's super PAC, was a big issue for the candidate.
Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign staffer who worked in his administration, said it is hard to predict who will be picked. Whoever is chosen will have to be loyal and condemn what happened in 2020. They are disqualified if they don't.
Caputo echoed Kellyanne Conway, a top Trump adviser.
She asked who he should pick. Whoever he wants.
