Former President Donald Trump is reportedly thinking about selecting a female for his running mate ahead of the 2024 election.
Individuals who talked about the matter with him told Axios he sees failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake as a model for his pick.
However, friends of Trump acknowledge Lake comes with a downside.
Axios explains, “He wants no risk that his running mate could outshine him. Lake would be assumed to be angling for president from the day she entered the White House. She made a political trip to Iowa last month.”
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told the outlet, “Anyone who thinks they know what President Trump is going to do is seriously misinformed and trying to curry favor with ‘potential’ V.P. candidates.”
He added, “President Trump will choose his running mate on his own time, and those who are playing the media game are doing so at their own peril.”
Axios was told that Trump is searching for qualities such as those like former Vice President Mike Pence.
Notably, Trump is no longer on speaking terms with Pence.
According to some close to the former president, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley could be the best choice, per Axios.
Another name that has come up as a potential strong choice is Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R).
Haley appeared to take aim at Trump during a donor retreat in Palm Beach, Florida, over the weekend.
“Lots of Republican politicians love spending and wasting taxpayer money almost as much as Democrats. The last two Republican presidents added more than $10 trillion to the national debt. Think about that. A third of our debt happened under just two Republicans,” she said.
Haley added, “If we nominate another big spender in 2024, we’re going to lose.”
The former president spoke at CPAC over the weekend, declaring the country would never be going back to the “party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove and Jeb Bush.”
Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist and the vice chairman of CPAC, told The New York Times, “President Trump is still the leading candidate.”
He added, “But it’s a much more wide-open race than it has been in the past.”