Former President Donald Trump skipped the debate last week, and he’s characterized it as a race for second place.
Since then, Trump has been fielding questions about which candidates he’ll choose as his running mate… and he made a shocking pivot.
Conservative commentator Glenn Beck hosted Trump for a phone interview. Beck asked the former president about entrepreneur-turned-author Vivek Ramaswamy, a former dark horse candidate for president that has rocketed up the polls.
Trump announced to the surprise of observers that he’d been considering taking Ramaswamy as he’s running mate.
Beck asked Trump, “Have you thought of Vice President Ramaswamy?”
“He could be some form of something, I tell you. I think he’d be very good,” Trump said.
The former president continued, “He’s a smart guy. He’s a young guy. He’s got a lot of talent. He’s a very, very, very intelligent person… I think he’s really distinguished himself.”
Ramaswamy has praised Trump regularly, and said at the debate, “Let’s just speak the truth, OK? President Trump, I believe, was the best president of the 21st century. It’s a fact.”
On Tuesday, Trump returned the compliment.
“Anybody that said I’m the best president in a generation — I don’t know — you have to define ‘generation.’ That’s a long time. And he said it a couple of times. And he said ‘in 100 years.’ So I have to like a guy like that, you know? I can’t get upset with him,” Trump told Beck.
“He’s got a lot of good energy, and he’s been very nice to me, you know. Most of them have, other than [former New Jersey Gov. Chris] Christie.”
Beck appeared receptive to the 38-year-old Ramaswamy. “It’s amazing how there is the new generation and the old generation of Republicans that just seem to be completely out of touch with what time it is,” Beck said.
In the past, Trump and his team have reportedly only floated female candidates for the vice presidency — like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, and former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake of Arizona.
Take a look —
Glenn Beck Asks President Trump on Ramaswamy as Potential VP Pick
“… anybody that said I'm the best president in a generation… I have to like a guy like that… But he's a smart guy. He's a young guy. He's got a lot of talent. He's a very, very, very intelligent person. He's… pic.twitter.com/LVgfTZlWFN
— UngaTheGreat (@UngaTheGreat) August 30, 2023
Ramaswamy has explicitly denied any ambitions to become vice president in the past.
“It’s a no,” Ramaswamy told News Nation earlier this month. “I don’t do well in a number two, so I’d be about as likely to accept it as he would be to accept my offer to be my vice president.”
In the past, Ramaswamy’s team has bristled at Trump’s suggestion to “hold it in just a little bit.” Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Axios, “If I’m a betting woman, I wouldn’t expect Vivek to hold back much!”
The Horn editorial team