Could former President Donald Trump have his eyes on a future female vice president?
Trump addressed the prospect of selecting a woman as his running mate in a Thursday NBC News interview.
Trump spoke of the concept warmly in response to a question from “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker.
“Are you leaning toward a woman?” Welker asked in the interview, which aired Sunday.
“I like the concept, but we’re going to pick the best person,” Trump said.
“But I do like the concept, yes.”
Trump clarified that he tries not to “think too much about it,” stating that it isn’t yet time and he’s focused on winning the Republican primary.
However, Trump pointed to the record of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem in particular as appealing.
“She’s been a great governor.”
“She gave me a very full-throated endorsement, a beautiful endorsement actually.”
🚨New: Trump makes new statement on Noem, “I think she’s fantastic. She’s been a great governor. She gave me a very full-throated endorsement, a beautiful endorsement, actually. It’s been a very good state for me, and certainly, she would be one of the people I would consider.” pic.twitter.com/kdn9cGk2DZ
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) September 19, 2023
“And, you know, it’s been a very good state for me.”
“And certainly she’d be one of the people I’d consider, or for something else maybe. But we have a lot of people. We have a lot of great people in the Republican Party.”
Noem endorsed Trump at a South Dakota rally earlier this month.
🚨BREAKING: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem endorses Trump for President.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 9, 2023
Trump also rebuffed the idea of candidates for president facing an age limit in the interview, although he advocated that President Joe Biden take a cognitive test to evaluate his fitness for the presidency.
In the interview, Trump also addressed the series of criminal indictments he’s facing from federal and state prosecutors.
Kristen Welker’s ‘Meet The Press’ Debut: Full Donald Trump Interview pic.twitter.com/a8AmKYRye2
— Scott H. Fishman (@ScottFishman) September 18, 2023
The former president leads Republican primary polling, with most surveys indicating Trump has an overwhelming lead over his competitors,
A RealClearPolitics aggregate of polling shows Trump with a 56.6 percent majority of support from likely primary voters — a 44-point lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who had 12.7 percent. The other contenders are all in single digits.
Trump for President. But since he only gets 4 years, we need a strong VP to continue on & get elected. Don’t see Noem as eventual future President. Looks too soft. Want someone as ornery as DJT!
Qualifications and experience should be the pick. Not gender or skin color. That as we already know from our current VP, is a disaster waiting to happen!
I think MJT would be a good VP for Trump. She is a strong woman and fights for justice.