Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. DeSantis, Rep. Byron Donalds On Shortlist Of Trump VP Picks

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Former President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that at least half a dozen names are on his vice presidential shortlist.

During a Fox News town hall, host Laura Ingraham questioned Trump about six potential running mates: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard.

“Are they all on your shortlist?” Ingraham asked.

Read: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott Calls On Nikki Haley To Drop Out Of Race

“They are,” Trump said, “Honestly, all of those people are good. They’re all good; they’re all solid.”

Trump and DeSantis feuded for a year before DeSantis dropped out of the presidential race after finishing second in the Iowa caucuses. DeSantis has since endorsed Trump.

Trump has also stopped attacking the governor and has dropped the “DeSanctimonious” nickname he gave him.

Trump praised Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and acknowledged he was a possible vice presidential selection during the event.

Scott endorsed Trump before January’s New Hampshire presidential primary after he suspended his presidential campaign in November.

Read: Florida Gov. DeSantis Travels To South Carolina To Advocate For Congressional Term Limits

“You have to have somebody that would be a good president. A lot of people are talking about that gentleman over there,” Trump told Ingraham while pointing to Scott, drawing applause from the audience. “He’s been so great, such a great advocate. Tim Scott, he has been better for me than for himself. I watched his campaign and he doesn’t like talking about himself, he talks about Trump. I said, Tim, you are better for me than for yourself. He’s fantastic and a fantastic person.”

“The audience has been asked about who they think would be a good choice and various names came up,” Ingraham said. “One was, of course, Vivek Ramaswamy, who’s made a big splash, [Republican Gov.] Ron DeSantis [of Florida], who is making an appearance today in South Carolina, Tim Scott, [Republican Rep. Byron Donalds [of Florida] and a big presence for [former Democratic Rep.] Tulsi Gabbard [of Hawaii], very interesting, and [Republican Gov.] Kristi Noem [of South Dakota], as well, I should say. Are they all on your shortlist?”

Read: Iran’s Shipment Of Ballistic Missiles To Russia: An Escalation Of Military Cooperation

The mentions of Gabbard and Noem both drew applause from the crowd. “They are,” Trump said.

Trump then said he was surprised at how little impact running mates had on presidential tickets before noting former Republican Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as an exception who drew fire from the media, Democrats, and some Republicans.

Ingraham noted that if Trump won in 2024, he would not be eligible to run for a second term before she and Trump mocked claims that Trump would not leave office and there wouldn’t be another election.

“You would like to get somebody to help you from the voters’ standpoint, and honestly, all of those people are good and solid,” Trump told Ingraham about the names she mentioned.

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