Perhaps one of the biggest questions, if not the biggest, about the 2024 presidential election is who Trump will pick as his running mate. We knew that it wouldn’t be Mike Pence, and many names and theories have circulated. Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) was rumored to be on the shortlist until she took her political career out to a gravel pit and killed it. Some people believed that Trump would pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but that was a ridiculous idea from the start.
Gov. Doug Burgum (R-N.D.) is getting a lot of attention lately, as is Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). Some considered Nikki Haley to be a potential running mate, but her refusal to endorse Trump after she dropped out most likely took her out of consideration. Earlier this month, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that she is “not under consideration” as his running mate.
In light of the massive speculation and the seemingly dwindling list of likely candidates, it seemed like the announcement was coming sooner than later, but now, Trump said there is “a pretty good chance” that he’ll announce his running mate selection at the Republican National Convention this summer.
“I don’t say anything is 100%, but you’re getting pretty close,” Trump said in an interview with Scripps News. “I’ll be doing it in Milwaukee. We’re going to have a great time.”
Waiting until the convention is not unprecedented. In 2016, Trump named Pence as his running mate just three days before the Republican Convention in Cleveland.
“The last time a presumptive Republican nominee for president waited until the convention to announce their vice presidential running mate was in 1988 when then-Vice President George H.W. Bush announced his running mate Dan Quayle on the third day of the party’s August convention,” explains the Epoch Times. “The last time a presumptive Democratic nominee for president waited until the convention to announce their vice presidential running mate was in 1976 when Jimmy Carter announced Walter Mondale as his pick on the last night of the party’s July convention.”
Since the 1968 presidential election, the earliest a presumptive nominee announced their running mate was in 2004 when Democratic nominee John Kerry announced John Edwards as his running mate 20 days prior to the convention, while on the GOP side, Mitt Romney announced his running mate Paul Ryan 16 days prior to the 2012 Republican convention. President Trump has teased some high-profile names as being on his list of potential running mates while also ruling out other high-profile names. Ultimately, the front runner for President Trump’s running mate has not been easy to assess as he has been careful in commenting publicly on any one rumored pick over another.
In the interview with Scripps News, Trump also indicated that he has no problem with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. participating in the debates if he meets the threshold for participation.
“I would have no problem if he got whatever the threshold is,” Trump told Scripps News political correspondent Charles Benson. “But he’s very low and seems to be heading in the other direction, in the wrong direction.”
CNN, which is hosting the first debate next month, announced that candidates must secure at least 15% support in four different polls and appear on enough state ballots to potentially obtain 270 Electoral College votes, the amount needed to win the presidency.