Trump allies jockey to be VP: ‘There’s outright auditions happening’

As the results came in from New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary Tuesday, analysts on Fox News were already speculating about who the winner — former President Trump — might choose as his running mate to bolster his general election chances.

“Maybe we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves,” host Jesse Watters said.

There have only been two Republican primary contests. But with Trump winning both handily and leading in the polls elsewhere, much of the attention has already shifted to who might join him on the ticket.

Trump surrogates with vice presidential aspirations have done little to downplay their interest in the role, while Trump has fed into speculation about his choice of running mate in recent interviews.

“It used to be that the standard answer was, ‘I have a job right now,’ and you wanted to downplay your interest. Now there’s outright auditions happening,” said Sean Spicer, a former Trump White House press secretary.

The Trump campaign has said the former president has not finalized any choice for his running mate. One Trump-aligned operative said Trump is unlikely to make an announcement about the ticket anytime soon as he keeps his focus on dominating the GOP primary and on his court cases.

But that hasn’t stopped speculation about who is in the mix for vice president, nor has it prevented those interested in the job from jockeying for it.

Would-be contenders have stormed early primary states, joined Trump at rallies and appeared on television to make his case for another term, demonstrating their loyalty and fueling speculation about their chances in the process.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) appeared alongside Trump in New Hampshire and phone-banked with Trump campaign volunteers. The congresswoman, who is a member of House GOP leadership, has said she would be honored to serve in the Trump administration in any capacity.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has been ubiquitous at Trump events since endorsing the former president last Friday. He has appeared at rallies with Trump, traveled around New Hampshire with the former president and spoke briefly during Trump’s victory remarks after the primary there.

Scott has similarly left the door open to joining Trump on the ticket, saying he would help in any capacity.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) traveled to Iowa to campaign for Trump. She has previously said she’d be Trump’s running mate “in a heartbeat.”

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) traveled to New Hampshire in support of Trump, though the senator has said he believes he can be helpful to Trump in the Senate, and his term runs through 2028.

Even Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations and Trump’s lone remaining rival in the GOP primary, has had to fend off questions about whether she would serve as the former president’s running mate while holding events of her own on the trail. Haley said last week serving as vice president was “off the table,” and Trump said she would “probably” not be chosen.

Trump himself has not shied away from feeding the intrigue around his eventual choice.

The former president said at a Fox News town hall on Jan. 10 that he already had an idea of who was under consideration. In an interview with the network ahead of the New Hampshire primary, Trump said he had a particular candidate in mind and gave it a “25 percent chance” he would pick that individual.

“It’s never really had that much of an effect on an election, which is an amazing thing, both election and primary. It’s never really had much of an effect,” Trump said.

“I may or may not really [decide] something over the next couple of months,” he added. “There’s no rush to that. It won’t have any impact at all. The person that I think I like is a very good person, a pretty standard. I think people won’t be that surprised.”

Trump has offered few clues about who specifically he is considering, but his allies have openly opined on the type of running mate they’d like to see.

Steve Bannon, a former top adviser to Trump on his 2016 campaign and in the White House, has said he believes Trump will have a woman as his running mate. He named Stefanik, Noem, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) among those he thought should be considered.

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said late last year someone like Haley would be a wise political choice because she would bring additional voters into the fold.

Trump allies and strategists said the former president’s vice presidential choice in 2024 is a different calculation from 2016, when he was a political newcomer and chose Mike Pence as his running mate to solidify support with skeptical evangelical voters.

This time around, Trump will likely look for a running mate who can win over women voters, suburban voters and skeptical independents.

“You must pick someone who helps to bring in that bloc because I believe the conservatives, the base, is going to come home, show up, rain or shine,” former Trump campaign and White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News. “You need the independent, you need the suburban women. You need that tone.”