Two names were floated by former President Donald Trump over the weekend as possible choices as his running mate for the 2024 presidential campaign.
During an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures, Trump reluctantly mentioned Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) as two people he is considering for vice president. However, he also noted that he was in no rush to make a choice and would not do so for a while. So, even though Trump mentioned these names, it probably should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, Bartiromo did get an answer from Trump on his selection process. He elaborated on how he would choose a candidate for vice president.
“Always it’s got to be one thing,” Trump said. “It’s got to be who would [be] able to be a good president. I mean, you always have to think that because you know, a civil emergency … things happen, right? No matter who you are, things happen. It’s got to be No. 1. Who’s your enemy?”
Regarding Tim Scott, Trump was very complimentary of the senator from South Carolina.
“I called him and I said, ‘You are [a] much better candidate for me than you were for yourself,’” Trump said. “When I watched Tim, he was fine, he was good, but he was very low-key. I watched him in the last week, defending me, and sticking up for me, and fighting for me.”
Regarding Noem, Trump also mentioned the South Dakota governor’s penchant for standing up for Trump and defending him. He emphasized that Noem had “been incredible fighting” for him. Trump also highlighted Noem’s loyalty, mentioning that Noem said she would never launch a campaign against him “because [she] can’t beat him.”
However, while loyalty is important, and everyone knows Trump likes deference and loyalty in his political friends, it probably shouldn’t be the sole determining factor in choosing a running mate.
Analyzing both Scott and Noem, it would seem that Scott would make the most sense of these two. Noem governs a state solidly behind Trump but only has three electoral votes. On the other hand, Scott is from South Carolina, which has nine. Also, while the Palmetto State went for Trump last time, and probably will do so again, it is believed that Trump’s support in South Carolina is not as strong as in South Dakota. That would likely be one reason to choose Scott over Noem.
Another reason to choose Scott is that he is arguably more popular nationally than Noem. He is well-liked, considered honorable, and known as a reputable politician who seems free of scandal and controversy, which Noem is not. He also regularly calls out the Democrats’ obsession with race and the damage it is doing to the country.
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Furthermore, choosing Scott would presumably help Trump with the non-white, racial minority voting bloc. It would also help neutralize frivolous left-wing radical claims that Trump is a white supremacist — even though acolytes of such beliefs will still repeat these claims and go even further by vilifying Scott in the process.
There are a number of choices for Trump’s vice presidential candidate that are probably better options than either Noem or Scott. However, if these are the main two Trump is considering — and no one will probably know for months if this is the case — then he should choose Tim Scott.