Trump’s VP wish list: Looks the part; not too tall
Former President Donald Trump’s perfect vice president would look the part: attractive and telegenic. They would ideally be Black or a woman, though that’s not required. And they would most certainly not be taller than Trump himself.
Trump wants someone he would see in person but not too much, his advisers say. He does not necessarily want a successor as the leader of the MAGA movement; he would prefer the Republican Party duke it out for his endorsement in four years, one adviser said. He wants a No. 2 who has won in the past. And he wants someone who would never contradict his false claims about the outcome of the 2020 election.
But more than anything, he wants someone who could help him win.
At least a dozen people are under consideration for the job, one top Trump adviser told The Washington Post. That list is “growing, not shrinking,” and Trump keeps adding names, said the adviser, who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail private conversations.
Who is in and out depends on the day. Trump has fixated in some conversations on J.D. Vance, four people close to the campaign say. Trump’s allies have also discussed Republican Govs. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas; Sens. Katie Boyd Britt, R-Ala., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn. — who several allies have been quick to note “looks the part” — along with Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Tim Scott, R-S.C.; Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.; and Kari Lake, a MAGA star who lost Arizona’s gubernatorial race in 2022.
Trump has even floated Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name to guests on the patio at Mar-a-Lago, though his advisers decry that idea. He may still pick a political newcomer — perhaps someone from the business world.
He certainly won’t pick Mike Pence, his former vice president.
But Trump is nowhere near making up his mind and seems in no hurry to do so, according to five people close to him. He watches TV and judges potential candidates carefully — not only what they say, but also their body language and whether they seem confident and convincing.
He has met with vice presidential aspirants at Mar-a-Lago and pitted them against one another. After speaking to some of the country’s wealthiest Republican donors last week, Trump surprised his guests by introducing Burgum, Scott and investor Vivek Ramaswamy, and offering each of them the opportunity to speak.
Holding a semipublic competition to determine his vice president — and waiting until the last minute to make his choice — would play to the former president’s advantage, Trump adviser Jason Miller has argued. The would-be candidates would work hard for Trump, and Trump and his team would have more time to assess them, Miller has told others in Trump’s orbit. Miller has told advisers many of the contenders could be Cabinet secretaries. Knowing Trump likes reality TV, Miller has suggested the campaign build suspense and drama around his selection.
“This is The Apprentice: 2024 version,” said Terry Sullivan, a Republican consultant who managed Rubio’s 2016 presidential bid. “Donald Trump is nothing if not a showman, and he loves this process, and he’s going to drag it out and get as much media coverage and goodwill and leverage it as much as humanly possible.”
In a statement, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said “anyone claiming to know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying, unless the person is named Donald J. Trump.”
Trump’s vice presidential pick will be one of his most important decisions ahead of the November election. Most voters already have strong views about Trump, and he has suggested his choice of running mate “won’t have any impact at all.”
But he is 77, and if he wins, he would be the oldest president inaugurated. Under the Constitution, he can serve only one more term, making whomever he chooses a favorite to succeed him as the leader of the MAGA movement.
Yet becoming Trump’s running mate has proved to be a high-reward, high-risk endeavor. Pence served Trump loyally for four years before Trump turned on him over his refusal to overturn the 2020 election results. The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol endangered Pence and his family, as some rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence.”
Pence launched his own presidential bid last year, saying Trump was no longer qualified for the presidency after Jan. 6, and has pointedly refused to endorse him. Asked whether being Trump’s vice president carries political risk, Pence adviser Marc Short replied: “That question answers itself.”
Chris Christie, who was runner-up to become Trump’s running mate in 2016, expects Trump to drag the process out but eventually select a yes man.
“Job No. 1 is a sycophant,” Christie said. “Job No. 2 is whatever he believes is the best political advantage on the day he makes the decision. Not the day before, not the day after.”
Christie said in 2016, Trump was worried about securing the support of evangelical voters and rock-ribbed conservatives. This time, he is more concerned about his own future, Christie said, and finding someone who won’t defy him.