Friends, allies urge Trump to choose a woman or black man as his running mate

WASHINGTON – Donald Trump is calling friends, allies and donors to seek advice on whom he should pick as a vice-presidential running mate as he closes in on the Republican White House nomination, according to five close allies of the former US president.

He has yet to make a final decision, the allies said, but it is a clear sign that

he is already planning for a likely general election rematch

with Democratic President Joe Biden in November.

“Every day, everywhere he goes, it’s, ‘What do you think of this person? What do you think of that person?’” one close ally said, describing the nature of Trump’s phone calls.

The allies, two of whom have direct knowledge of the inner workings of his campaign, spoke on the condition of anonymity to more freely discuss the issue.

In response to his queries, he is receiving an array of names, but many of them are either women or African American, which speaks to a broad agreement that he needs to improve his standing among both demographics to help him win back the White House.

That list includes South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, South Carolina US Senator Tim Scott, New York Representative Elise Stefanik, Trump’s former White House secretary and current Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Trump’s former housing and urban development secretary Ben Carson.

The former president declared at a Fox News town hall event in Iowa on Jan 10 that “I know who it’s going to be”, when asked about a running mate, but allies say his calls for advice have continued since then.

A former Trump White House official who is still in touch with him said Trump has expressed a preference to choose a woman as he believes that would help his prospects, with Ms Stefanik and Ms Noem high on his list.

A fifth ally said Trump has already compiled a short list.

The Trump campaign did not respond to questions about who he is considering to be his running mate.

Opposition to Haley

There also appears to be broad resistance to picking Mrs Nikki Haley, Trump’s former United Nations ambassador and last surviving nomination rival, a donor close to the former president said.

Opposition to Mrs Haley among some of Trump’s allies and within his campaign have intensified in recent days as

she has increased attacks on his age – he is 77 – and mental acuity

.

Mrs Haley

ruled out being his running mate

on Jan 19, saying being anybody’s vice-president was “off the table”. Trump said on Jan 19 he would “probably” not pick her as a running mate.

When he first ran for president in 2016, he realised he needed a vice-presidential pick who could help shore up support among Republican evangelicals and social conservatives, who were suspicious of the thrice-married reality TV star.

He picked Mr Mike Pence, then Indiana governor and a fierce social conservative, a move that allayed fears about Trump on the right wing of the party and solidified his Republican base.

In 2024, Trump’s allies and Republican strategists say he needs help attracting suburban swing voters in a handful of battleground states, where November’s election will most likely be decided.

With an eye on that general election map, the donor said: “A woman on the ticket could be very helpful. An African American on the ticket could be very helpful.”

On the trail for Trump

Ms Noem, Ms Stefanik, Mr Scott and Mr Carson have worked hard stumping for Trump on

the campaign trail in Iowa

and New Hampshire, the first two states to vote in the Republican primary. Party insiders and strategists see their appearances as auditions for the vice-presidential pick.

Ms Stefanik has become a fiercely loyal Trump surrogate and is a rising star in the Republican Party.

She gained national prominence in December after embarrassing the heads of three top universities about anti-Semitism on their campuses during a congressional hearing, which prompted two of them to later resign.

Ms Stefanik spoke at a New Hampshire rally on Jan 19, stopped at a restaurant on Jan 20, and later at the Trump campaign headquarters in the state’s Manchester city.

As she made her way through the crowd to a bank of TV cameras, she was asked by Reuters if she had discussed with Trump or his aides the vice-president’s role. She declined to comment on that, but said: “I’d be honoured to serve in a future Trump administration in any way.”

The question prompted a “VP, VP, VP,” chant among Trump supporters in attendance.

On Jan 21, at another New Hampshire rally, Trump praised Ms Stefanik – but mispronounced her name.

Mr Alex DeGrasse, a spokesman for Ms Stefanik, said the congresswoman “does not discuss her conversations with President Trump”.

Ms Noem, serving her second term as South Dakota’s governor after a landslide re-election victory in 2022, is close to Trump. She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She campaigned for and with him at several events in Iowa earlier in January, including three stops across the state on Jan 3.

Before her final speech that day, she was asked by CBS News about being his running mate. “I think anybody in this country, if they were offered it, needs to consider it,” she replied.

Her office referred Reuters to the CBS interview.

Mr Scott, who is African American, was a one-time Republican rival to Trump, but dropped out of the race in November and endorsed Trump on Jan 19. Both Mr Scott and Mr Carson, who is also black, have been on the campaign trail supporting Trump.

In Concord, New Hampshire, on Jan 19, Mr Scott told a crowd that Trump would lower taxes and unite the country.

Mr Andrew Hughes, a spokesman for Mr Carson, said of Trump’s potential running-mate pick: “That is President Trump’s decision and he will make it when he’s ready.”

A spokesman for Mr Scott declined to comment.

Loyalty top priority for Trump

Trump is looking for loyalty and deference in a running mate, the close Trump ally said.

“Remember whose name is on the side of the plane,” the ally said.

Ms Sanders is seen as fiercely loyal to Trump and frequently defends his record from the governor’s mansion in Arkansas. Asked about being his running mate by CBS News on Jan 21, she said: “I absolutely love the job I have.”

Other names popular with Trump’s die-hard supporters, judging by enthusiastic reactions to their appearances for him in New Hampshire in recent days, are Ms Kari Lake, who narrowly lost a gubernatorial bid in Arizona in 2022 and is now running for the US Senate there, and Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Both are fiercely loyal to him and echo his false claim that he won the 2020 election against Mr Biden. But allies view them as too polarising for a presidential ticket.

Mr Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, says Trump is such a huge and polarising figure himself, it may not matter who he picks.

“It’s all about the top of the ticket, especially when the top of the ticket is so dominant a personality as Donald Trump, should he win the nomination,” Mr Ayres said. REUTERS