On Sunday, NBC News aired its interview with former President Trump, marking both the debut of Meet the Press host Kristen Welker and the former president’s first interview with one of the big three broadcasters since leaving office.
Trump fielded questions about possible picks for vice president… and he gave a straight answer about one of his prospects.
Welker asked, “Mr. President, have you thought about a potential running mate if you were to win the nomination?… A lot of people noticed when Governor Noem endorsed you there were Trump/Noem signs. Do you have your eye on her?”
Trump answered the question with an unequivocal yes.
“I do,” Trump said. “I think she’s fantastic. She’s been a great governor. She gave me a very full-throated endorsement, a beautiful endorsement actually. 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.”
Trump made the remarks Thursday in a pre-taped interview at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Some of his remarks were cut from the air and are only available on NBC’s transcript published online.
Welker followed up, “Are you leaning toward a woman?”
Trump said that he was, but wasn’t committed.
“I like the concept, but we’re going to pick the best person,” Trump said. “But I do like the concept, yes.”
At a debate in 2020, Joe Biden committed to naming a woman as his running mate even before winning the Democratic primary or the general election. “I will pick a woman,” Biden said on CNN in March 2020.
By contrast, Trump is remaining open to the candidate with the most merit regardless of gender.
Pundits have floated other possible running mates, in addition to Noem. Some names include New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and former newscaster Kari Lake of Arizona.
Some commentators have even encouraged Trump to pick Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, a man.
However, Trump also said that it was too early for him to be thinking about running mates.
“I like not to think too much about that. You always do a little bit, but I really don’t think it’s time. I want to win,” Trump told Welker.
“It’s very interesting about running mates. When you get down to a vice president, they said, ‘Nobody’s ever made that kind of a difference. It’s still about the person that’s going to be president.’ But it’s an important decision.”
Take a look —
Trump Says @KristiNoem Is One of the People He’d Consider as VP pic.twitter.com/VH7K8yGrCK
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) September 18, 2023
In the first one-on-one Democratic primary debate, Joe Biden vowed to pick a woman as vice president pic.twitter.com/jrSjDtwaxs
— TIME (@TIME) March 16, 2020
The Horn editorial team