Top Republican Open to Being Trump’s Running Mate: ‘Will Take the Call’

Speculation has been rife for months regarding who former President Donald Trump will pick as his 2024 running mate. While nothing official has been announced, another name has emerged as a possibility.

While speaking with Newsweek, Larry Elder said he would “take the call” if Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offered to make him their 2024 running mate. Elder, who is running for president in 2024, urged Republicans to “unite behind a candidate whose last name is other than Trump” in order to “win in November 2024.”

When asked by Newsweek if he would consider being Trump’s running mate, Elder replied: “I am running for president, I’m not running for vice president, I’m not running for a cabinet position. However in the unlikely event I’m not the party nominee, and if Trump or DeSantis or one of the other persons call and ask me to be vice president, I will take the call.

Elder, who called himself a “big fan of Donald Trump” and someone he “backed in 2016 and 2020,” argued that the 45th president has been “attacked” so many times he would struggle to appeal to key voters in the 2024 race.

“Here’s the problem; I believe there are so many swing voters in swing states who would not vote for the man if he walked on water,” Elder said. “In fact, they would accuse him of not being able to swim. I have no idea what to do about Trump derangement syndrome—maybe someday somebody will develop a vaccine.”

“I think at some point in this long process Republican voters are doing to realize in order to win in November 2024 they’re going to have to unite behind a candidate whose last name is other than Trump, but for whom a sufficient number of swing voters and swing states will vote so we can win in November 2024, and I’m making the case that I’m that person,” Elder added.

Trump’s team recently shared some interesting insight into his potential running mate.

Trump insiders spoke to the Daily Caller and said the 45th president is likely to pick a vice presidential candidate that is “loyal,” has “charisma,” and is “ideologically aligned” with him.

No candidates have publicly announced their intent to be Trump’s VP, but the former president has indicated that ‘a lot of people’ are ‘auditioning’ behind the scenes. Trump insiders told the Caller that although there haven’t been any formal discussions to narrow down the pool, there are a set of characteristics that will likely be considered,” the Daily Caller reported.

“We do know one thing about Trump, is that he puts a lot of weight on how well you present yourself. That really matters to him, so I suspect that will matter for his VP choice,” a GOP consultant close to Trump told the Caller, adding that the person needs to be “TV ready.”

While the insiders did not name anyone specifically in the interview, they did at least share some insight into the type of person he would be interested in.

At this point, everyone has an opinion on Trump’s possible running mate.

One report speculated that Trump could choose one of these women: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Arizona Republican Kari Lake.

One recent report suggested Trump is likely to choose a running mate “from three general lanes of candidates: women, conservatives of color, or a trusted adviser.”

Former White House Steve Bannon thinks 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. could be Trump’s running mate.

Fox News host Greg Gutfeld speculated that he believes Trump would pick former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard.