Vivek Ramaswamy, Tulsi Gabbard on Trump’s VP shortlist
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Tulsi Gabbard
Indian American biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu American member of the House, are among half a dozen names on Donald Trump’s vice presidential shortlist.
The former president Tuesday suggested his choice of running mate is still wide open even as he acknowledged half a dozen names including South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
READ: Vivek Ramaswamy suspends campaign, endorses Trump (January 16, 2024)
“Are they all on your shortlist?” host Laura Ingraham asked during a Fox News town hall event.
“They are,” Trump said, before adding: “Honestly all of those people are good. They’re all good, they’re all solid.”
And I always say I want people with common sense because there’s so many things happening in this country that don’t make sense,” Trump said.
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“(The) first quality (I am looking for is their ability to act as) a good president because if something should happen, you have to have somebody that’s going to be a great president,” he added.
But Trump also said that it does not matter who the running mate contenders are but what matters is who is running for president.
“The one thing that always surprises me is that the VP choice has absolutely no impact. It’s whoever the president is, it just seems,” Trump said.
“You would like to get somebody that could help you from the voters standpoint,” he further added.
Trump did not share a time frame regarding when he would announce who would finally be his running mate.
READ: Tulsi Gabbard exits presidential race, backs Joe Biden (March 19, 2020)
However, he singled out Scott, who was in the audience, for the most praise. Scott, who dropped out of the Republican primary last year and later endorsed Trump, has been aggressively campaigning for Trump in his home state ahead of South Carolina’s Feb 24 primary.
