Trump Confirms His Vice Presidential Shortlist Includes Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy & Kristi Noem

At a town hall event held in Greenville, South Carolina, Donald Trump revealed his list of potential running mates and reaffirmed his influence within the Republican Party. In a conversation with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Trump discussed the speculated candidates on his vice presidential shortlist.

Among the names mentioned were three former GOP candidates: Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida). Trump also confirmed the inclusion of Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Florida), Gov. Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota) and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii).

Though a Democrat while in Congress, in 2022 Gabbard announced that she had shifted her views toward conservatism and has been a frequent guest on Fox News.

While Trump confirmed that these individuals were indeed under consideration, he did not provide a specific timeline for the announcement of his VP decision. However, he expressed confidence in their abilities with the statement, “They’re all good, They’re all solid.”

Trump, who remains the frontrunner for the Republican Party, also emphasized his desire for a running mate who can connect with voters and exhibit “common sense” on critical issues such as immigration, electric vehicles and inflation. Trump particularly praised Scott, who was present at the town hall event, for his support.

While Trump drew attention to Scott’s unsuccessful bid for the GOP primary in November, in which Scott withdrew due to poor poll numbers, he commended Scott’s dedication to the Trump cause. Trump stated, “I have to say, this is in a very positive way, Tim Scott, he has been much better for me than he was for himself… I watched his campaign and he doesn’t like talking about himself, but boy, does he talk about Trump.”

On Saturday, Trump soundly defeated his lone remaining challenger, former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-South Carolina) by 20%. On the campaign trial, Haley has suggested that Trump may be suffering from dementia after numerous verbal gaffes.