Former President Donald Trump praised both Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) when asked who might be a good running mate for his 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump brings up Tim Scott and Kristi Noem when asked about his pick for Vice President
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 4, 2024
Trump was being interviewed by Fox News host Maria Bartiromo when he was asked about the criteria he would use in choosing a vice presidential candidate. He said that the most important factor in that decision was whether or not his running mate would be able to handle the presidency in the case of an emergency.
After answering the question about criteria, Bartiromo asked Trump who his running mate would be, and while Trump began the answer vaguely, he quickly pinpointed two potential vice presidential candidates.
“Well, I have a lot of good people. I have a lot of good ideas,” Trump began, adding that he “talks to everybody.”
The former president then praised two specific politicians whose qualities he believed would be a good fit for the role of Vice President.
“You know, I called Tim Scott and people like Tim Scott, and I said you’re a much better candidate for me than you are for yourself,” Trump said. “When I watched him, he was fine. He was good, but he was very low-key.”
The other potential running mate Trump named was Kristi Noem who has been a vocal supporter of Trump for a long time.
“Kristi Noem has been incredible fighting for me,” Trump said. “She said, I’d never run against him because I can’t beat him. That was a very nice thing to say.”
During the interview, Trump also made it clear that he would not make his final decision “for a while.”
Trump also dispelled rumors that his campaign reached out to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a potential running mate saying that the interaction “never happened.”
Scott made a run for president, but shortly after dropping out of the race, he threw his support behind Trump. Noem endorsed Trump at a fundraiser in her home state of South Dakota in September.
