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Former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday that she'd be "open" to having a conversation with former President Donald Trump regarding being his 2024 running mate.
While appearing on Fox News' Fox & Friends, Gabbard was asked about remarks made by economist Stephen Moore, who said that at a recent event, many attendees chose Gabbard as who they think Trump should pick for his vice president.
"I'd be open to that conversation," Gabbard said. "My mission in life is to serve our country and serve the American people and find the best way to be able to do that."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.
The context:
Trump remains the GOP frontrunner in the 2024 election, as he continues to lead former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley in the polls.
Trump has yet to make a definitive pick on who his vice president would be if he wins the Republican primary and many have speculated a number of different names that could be chosen.
What we know:
While speaking with Fox News's Maria Bartiromo over the weekend, Trump dropped hints about who he could consider for his vice president pick.
When asked when he would announce his running mate, Trump said, "Not for a while. We have so many great people in the Republican Party, but not for a while."
During the interview, Trump said he speaks with many people and mentioned South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
"I called Tim Scott this week. A lot of people like Tim Scott. I called him, and I said, 'You're a much better candidate for me than you are for yourself,'" Trump said. "Kristi Noem has been incredible fighting for me. She said, 'I'd never run against him because I can't beat him.' That was a very nice thing to say."
Views:
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, conservative commentator Charlie Kirk listed Tucker Carlson, Ben Carson, Byron Donalds, JD Vance, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron Johnson, Noem and Rand Paul as who he believed would be good vice president candidates for Trump.
Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, responded to Kirk's post by saying "Charlie is spot on."
In another post on X, Kirk stressed that Trump shouldn't pick Nikki Haley for his vice president, saying that "the base would revolt."
What's next:
While Trump remains the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 election, he still has several primaries against Haley. Trump was previously victorious in Iowa and New Hampshire against Haley and the two are set to face off again in South Carolina in the coming days.
Update 2/7/24, 9:31 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and to reflect that Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson for comment.
Update 2/7/24, 9:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more