Campaign

Bannon predicts Trump will pick a woman as his running mate

by Brett Samuels - 12/15/23 8:25 PM ET

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 25: Steve Bannon, former advisor to President Donald Trump, departs New York State Supreme Court on May 25, 2023 in New York City. Last year, Bannon was charged with money laundering, conspiracy, and attempting to defraud in connection with the ‘We Build the Wall’ scheme. These state charges mirrored the federal charges for which Bannon was pardoned by former President Donald Trump. Bannon and his associates were accused of deceiving contributors in a private $25 million fundraising campaign aimed at constructing a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Ex-Trump aide Steve Bannon on Friday predicted former President Trump will choose a woman as his running mate in 2024, highlighting South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) as contenders for the vice presidential slot.

Bannon appeared on The Sean Spicer Show with the former White House press secretary, where the two discussed at length what a second Trump administration might look like in terms of policy and personnel.

“My thinking is very structured that I believe President Trump will have a female as the vice president,” said Bannon, who served as a top adviser on Trump’s 2016 campaign and as a chief strategist in the White House until his ouster in August 2017.

He floated Noem, Stefanik, Mace, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), Kari Lake (R) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), among the individuals who could be considered for the number two slot on a ticket with Trump.

Spicer questioned whether Mace would be a fit, noting whoever Trump picks could not outshine the former president.

Bannon praised Mace’s “Trumpian attitude,” saying, “She comes at this with a brashness and a set of titanium balls.”

Mace was one of nine Republicans who voted with Democrats to hold Bannon in contempt of Congress in 2021 for failing to honor a subpoena, and he was later convicted on that charge. She has since appeared on his “War Room” podcast, particularly in the wake of her vote to oust Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker.

McCarthy and some others on Capitol Hill have been critical of the South Carolina Republican, arguing she flip-flops frequently on issues and seeks out attention.

Mace was critical of Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol, but she later stood outside Trump Tower and touted her early support of the former president after he endorsed a primary challenger in 2022.