Donald Trump Jr. quelled hopes that former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley would be selected as his father’s running mate in a social media post on Wednesday.
Speculation about Donald Trump’s vice president pick has been rampant as the former president admitted over the weekend that he’d already decided on a candidate privately. He said that the person would be in attendance at his debate against President Joe Biden on Thursday night.
Many Republicans anticipate Trump to announce his selection at the Republican National Convention, which will be held July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In February, Trump confirmed that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Senator Tim Scott, Representative Byron Donalds, biotech tycoon Vivek Ramaswamy, and former House Democrat Tulsi Gabbard were all on his shortlist.
Other widely-tipped candidates include North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.
On Wednesday, radio show host Mark Levin said there was a “huge” last-minute push by “wealthy GOP donors and RINO corporate media” for Trump to select Haley as his running mate despite the former United Nations ambassador not being on the shortlist.
Trump Jr. immediately extinguished those rumors.
“Nikki Haley, who served as the puppet of Democrat billionaires and warmongerers, would be a wonderful choice is my dad wants to get impeached within about 7 seconds of being sworn in,” Trump Jr. said on X, formerly Twitter while resharing Levin’s post. “She’s they’re last hope!”
Newsweek reached out to Trump Jr. through the Trump Organization by email for comment.
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It is unclear if Trump Jr. is aware of his father’s selection, given that Trump’s campaign warned that anyone “claiming to know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying, unless the person is named Donald J. Trump,” the Associated Press reported.
However, Trump himself ruled Haley out of the running in May, so Republicans can anticipate that she won’t be his top choice.
The former president posted on Truth Social at the time: “Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the V.P. slot, but I wish her well! DJT.”
Newsweek previously reported that a number of leading bookmakers have recently shortened Burgum’s odds, making him the strong favorite. Internet users also noticed that the web address trumpburgum.com automatically redirected to Donald Trump‘s official campaign website, sparking even more rumors about Burgum, especially when name combinations with other VP candidates didn’t yield similar results.
Ramaswamy also announced he would attend the Thursday debate between Trump and Biden, spurring speculation that he might be Trump’s vice president pick.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.