Trump Slashes Names from VP Shortlist, Likes Ramaswamy, McCarthy, Cruz for Key Administration Roles: Report
Former President Donald Trump is beginning to focus on his running mate shortlist and has also picked out a few names for some key cabinet positions, a report claimed.
As the presumptive Republican nominee, Trump is not waiting until the July 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to begin making personnel designs for a second term, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.
According to the outlet, which cited numerous sources in Trump’s inner circle, the country’s 45th president has eliminated venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy as a potential vice president but does want to offer him a vital role in his administration if he is elected in November.
Bloomberg reporters Jennifer Jacobs and Justin Sink claimed Trump has already informed Ramaswamy he will not be selected as a running mate.
Sources said Trump’s closest aides see the 38-year-old as a natural choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
“Some Trump allies see Ramaswamy as ideal for the job because they say he excels at public speaking and, as an Indian-American son of an immigrant, could neutralize criticism of sweeping immigration restrictions,” Jacobs and Sink reported.
Per the reporters, Trump wants a running mate who will thrive behind the scenes and not be interested in being front and center.
Bloomberg claimed Trump has thus far found the search for a potential vice president difficult.
“Trump has confided to close advisers and allies that none of the names circulating as potential running mates have impressed him much,” Jacobs and Sink reported. “His list of options has only grown longer, not shorter, according to people close to the former president.”
Some of the names floated lack a national profile or have questionable loyalties in the GOP — including Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, who Trump supporters reportedly view as too close to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Trump is said to have the ear of many people close to him who are weighing in on the matter in order to help him make the right decision.
One person not expected to join a hypothetical second Trump administration is Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, the report claimed.
Per Bloomberg, Trump and DeSantis recently had a very cordial phone conversation, but Trump is still peeved by the governor’s bid for the GOP nomination.
DeSantis suspended his campaign in January after the Iowa caucuses.
Along with Ramsawmy, some prospective cabinet officials include North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and and Robert Lighthize, who served as the Trump administration’s U.S. Trade Representative from 2017 to 2021.
Metrics for evaluating candidates, per Bloomberg, include “ideological compatibility,” “loyalty,” and “perceived electoral power.”
One crucial position Trump wants to fill with the right person if he regains power later this year is the role of attorney general, Bloomberg reported.
Two names said to be on Trump’s shortlist for that role are Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah.
Trump adviser Jason Miller did not deny there are high-level discussions regarding who could work in another Trump administration, but he cautioned people not to believe everything they might read on the matter.
“Apparently somebody has decided to list out everyone who has ever met President Trump and is now speculating as to their potential participation in a second Trump administration,” Miller said in a statement.
He concluded, “The truth is that unless you hear it directly from President Trump or his campaign, this is all b.s.”
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