Larry Elder said he would “take the call” if former president Donald Trump offered to make him their 2024 running mate.
Elder, who is also running for president in 2024, recently urged Republicans to “unite behind a candidate whose last name is other than Trump” in order to “win in November 2024.”
However, when Elder was asked by NewsWeek if he would consider being Trump’s running mate, he said this:
“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. I won’t let it go to voicemail,” he said.
Larry Elder, who backed Trump in 2016 and 2020, said the 45th president has been “attacked” so many times he would struggle to appeal to key voters in 2024.
“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.
Larry Elder Open to Being Donald Trump's Running Mate: 'Will Take the Call'https://t.co/2ZQccLm6Qx
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) July 3, 2023
There have also been some interesting insights into Trump’s potential running mate.
According to The Daily Caller, Trump insiders said the 45th president is likely to pick a vice presidential candidate that is “loyal,” has “charisma,” and is “ideologically aligned.”
“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, a set of characteristics 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.”
As The Daily Fetched reported earlier this year, an unnamed Trump adviser said the 45th president would likely pick a running mate “from three general lanes of candidates: women, conservatives of color, or a trusted adviser,” Politico reports.
“Once you get past those two issues — loyalty and Trump going more with his gut — Trump has a lot of leeway in who he would pick,” said Tony Fabrizio, Trump’s lead pollster in 2016 and 2020.”
“He’s not necessarily looking to balance the ticket geographically, but what he can do is pick to balance gender, race, ethnicity — a lot of different lanes there.”
” It could be everything from a Tim Scott in South Carolina to an Asian American in California or somebody Hispanic in Texas. There are so many choices and paths. And there’s lots of time to go,” he added.
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