Carlson, Haley or Stefanik: Who Will Trump Pick as VP on 2024 Ticket?
23:10 GMT 18.01.2024 (Updated: 00:46 GMT 19.01.2024)
© AP Photo / Andrew Harnik
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The selection of a vice presidential candidate is said by followers of US politics to create an opportunity to “balance the ticket,” but some running mates bring risks as well as rewards.
Observers say Donald Trump is on a glide path to the Republican nomination after his thumping victory in the Iowa caucuses, with polls showing the former US president in the lead even in the home states of his rivals. Trump’s lasting popularity comes even in the face of an unprecedented 91 felony charges which could dramatically upend this year’s race for the White House.
Given Trump’s commanding victory Monday, speculation is emerging over who the billionaire would choose as his vice presidential pick for November’s election. His selection of former Indiana Governor Mike Pence was said to play a role in securing the backing of social conservatives in 2016, although Trump himself was allegedly ambivalent about the decision. The two famously had a major falling out, with Trump viewing Pence as disloyal in the wake of Trump’s questioning of the outcome of the 2020 election.
In trademark dramatic fashion, Trump teased he already had a vice presidential candidate in mind at a recent town hall although an adviser later clarified “nothing is finalized.” Here, Sputnik takes a look at some of the top contenders for the job as well as what their selection may entail for US foreign policy and the country’s backing of Ukraine in the protracted Donbass conflict. Some picks would rally distinct factions of the GOP’s base while one in particular would provoke major controversy.
Tucker Carlson
Given former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has no experience in electoral politics, the firebrand media personality may at first seem like an odd choice for vice president of the United States. Conventional analysis has speculated Trump may prefer a candidate with experience in Congress to help navigate the passage of legislation in the House and Senate. Still, Carlson is undeniably popular with many Republicans and has an international profile.
Carlson was a faithful supporter of Trump throughout his tenure as nightly host on Fox News, fulfilling Trump’s key criteria that any running mate should be unquestionably loyal. Trump was said to have frequently watched Carlson’s program during his time in the White House. As other GOP candidates took to the debate stage in August, Trump instead recorded an interview with the popular commentator, showing the two still share a close relationship.
Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio, in New York, Thursday, March 2, 2017
© AP Photo / Richard Drew
The selection of Carlson would demonstrate Trump’s commitment to shaking up Washington’s mainstream foreign policy establishment as the media personality has consistently questioned US support for the Zelensky regime in Ukraine. Carlson even invited traditionally left-wing figures on his program to critique American foreign policy, such as when he spoke to investigative journalist Aaron Maté about the role of the United States in the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. The host’s anti-establishment foreign policy views helped make him the bête noire of liberal media outlets like The New York Times.
Carlson remains a dark horse candidate for vice president, as acknowledged recently by Donald Trump Jr. and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Trump spoke favorably of the idea recently, saying Carlson has “great common sense.”
But it remains to be seen whether the former president would make such a provocative choice given he already faces documented opposition from America’s powerful foreign policy deep state.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Like Carlson, American tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy would also be an unorthodox choice for VP. The upstart presidential candidate also has no formal political experience and was virtually unknown in the United States just one year ago. Still, Ramaswamy has made a splash in Republican Party politics with his blunt rhetoric and criticism of mainstream media.
Ramaswamy would also be similar to Carlson in the sense of his unconventional foreign policy views. The former biotech executive has questioned US military aid from the standpoint of the MAGA movement’s “America First” philosophy, suggesting the country’s massive defense spending is often unaligned with the interests of average Americans.
He claimed to be the first among this year’s GOP presidential candidates to call for an end to lethal aid to Ukraine, an increasingly popular position among many Republicans and some Democrats.
Republican presidential candidate businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa's 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, July 28, 2023.
© AP Photo / Charlie Neibergall
Ramaswamy was mentioned as a popular VP choice recently by conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and speculation intensified when he shared a stage with Trump shortly after dropping out of the presidential primary contest this week.
“He’s a fantastic guy. He’s got something that’s very special,” said Trump after receiving the entrepreneur’s support Tuesday. “It’s an honor to have his endorsement.”
Still, others say Ramaswamy’s views and style are too similar to Trump’s to make him a suitable vice presidential pick. But a Trump-Ramaswamy ticket would be another powerful sign of widespread opposition to US foreign policy orthodoxy.
Nikki Haley
Former South Carolina Governor and UN ambassador Nikki Haley may have had the most meteoric rise out of all of this year’s contenders for the GOP presidential nomination.
Although she’s been out of electoral politics since 2018, Haley has performed strongly in polls and debates and has cemented her position as the pick of many powerful voices in the Republican Party establishment. Given her performance, she would seem to be a natural choice for Trump’s vice president, and indeed much speculation has emerged about a Trump-Haley ticket.
But the candidate has engendered intense opposition from many Trump supporters. Radio talk show host Charlie Kirk again sounded off on her suitability as VP this week in a strongly-worded warning on the X social media platform (formerly Twitter).
“Nikki Haley must not become Trump's VP candidate,” wrote Kirk. “Pro war, pro illegals, pro censorship, pro DC Uniparty. Haley would single handedly drag down Trump enthusiasm 10-15%. The base would revolt.”
The post was endorsed by maverick Florida representative and Trump supporter Matt Gaetz of Florida.
Former UN Ambassador and 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign event in The James Theater in Iowa City, Iowa, on January 13, 2024.
© AFP 2023 / CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA
Haley is seen by Kirk and others as a throwback to the Bush-Cheney years of the GOP when the party pursued an intensely neoconservative foreign policy vision. The Bush years resulted in two unpopular wars being launched in Iraq and Afghanistan which some estimates suggest resulted in the deaths of some 4.5 million people.
Polling has shown Republican supporters and the American public at large have demonstrated more skepticism towards a confrontational US foreign policy in the years since.
Haley is likely the strongest supporter of US aid to Ukraine in this year’s Republican presidential nomination contest, even as other candidates like Ron DeSantis have demonstrated ambivalence toward the policy. Haley’s stance has won her admiration from foreign policy elites but opposition from others.
Trump himself also seems to harbor resent for the former diplomat, turning to his Truth Social platform recently to attack Haley. Trump posted an edited photo of his Republican Party opponent, placing Haley’s face on the body of 2016 Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton, cementing the impression the two are similar in their hawkish foreign policy views.
Elise Stefanik
Upstate New York Rep. Elise Stefanik maintains a lower profile than other candidates on Trump’s VP shortlist, but the GOP lawmaker has done much to endear herself to the former president over the last several years.
Stefanik became a strong Trump supporter after his surprise victory in the 2016 election, ultimately becoming one of his most loyal backers in Washington. The New York congresswoman worked on Trump’s defense team during his impeachment in 2019 and continued to back the former president amidst his challenge of the 2020 election results.
“If you’re Trump, you want someone who’s loyal above all else,” said one Republican Party official of Stefanik. “Particularly because he sees Mike Pence as having made a fatal sin.”
Stefanik’s profile grew recently as she made headlines with her tough questioning of university leaders during campus antisemitism hearings in Congress. The saga convinced Trump advisers of the 39-year-old lawmaker’s toughness and messaging abilities.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, May 14, 2021, just after she was elected chair of the House Republican Conference
© AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite
“She picks her shots and she knows where her leverage is,” said former Trump strategist Steve Bannon. “And she understands something that’s quite rare today, which is modern communications. She knows what can make an impact. So she’s clearly a huge talent.”
“What MAGA’s got to do is make sure that President Trump fully considers the alternatives, because he’s going to be under tremendous pressure from the donors to pick Nikki Haley, and from Fox,” he added. “They’re profiling her right now. It’s the Nikki Haley channel.”
Observers say Stefanik may effectively thread the needle of representing a VP pick with some mass appeal who still doesn’t upstage Trump. Analysts speculate she would help the former president broaden his appeal in the general election without offending his strongest supporters.
“Haley’s name was thrown around a lot because they were looking for someone to come onto the ticket that can win over a certain demographic of the electorate that Trump has struggled with,” explained New York Young Republican Club President Gavin Wax. “But I think anything that Nikki Haley would have brought to the table, Elise brings to the table – without costing any votes from the base, or from MAGA, or from more conservative voters.”
