President Trump on Friday sought to dispel rumors that he may make a change in his running mate ahead of the 2020 election, giving a vote of confidence to Vice President Pence.
Trump was asked during an interview with “Fox & Friends” about rumors that former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley might replace Pence as his running mate in the next election.
{mosads}”Mike Pence — I know I’ve seen this rumor that keeps popping up, and Nikki would be great, but Mike Pence has done a phenomenal job as vice president,” Trump said. “He’s our guy, he’s my friend, and look, we have a great team.”
“Mike Pence is a great vice president,” he added. “He’s our man 100 percent.”
Trump described Haley as a friend and said she will be involved in the campaign in some form.
Haley, who left the administration a year ago, has attempted to bat down chatter that she’s angling for the vice president slot. That discussion bubbled back to the forefront during Haley’s recent publicity tour to promote her new book.
“The vice president and the president are a great ticket together,” she said during a recent interview. “They’re solid. Solid enough that they’re going to win together. There is no truth whatsoever that I would ever in any way look to get that position. I think Mike is great for that job and I think that he’s the right partner for the president.”
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, is widely considered a likely future GOP candidate for higher office. She has in recent media appearances tied herself closely to Trump and gone after his detractors in what GOP strategists interpreted as an effort to position herself for a possible 2024 White House run.