The 2024 veepstakes have reportedly evolved into a competition of who can get the most kudos Donald Trump.
More than a half-dozen Republicans with aspirations of becoming the former president’s running mate took the stage Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual gathering just outside Washington that draws thousands of MAGA-hatted Trump supporters, he reported Politic.
While there, they took turns showing their reverence for the former president, each with their own unique interpretation.
Kristi Noem, governor of South Dakota criticized those who challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, a group that includes two ousted primary candidates who became potential vice presidents: South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
“Why did all these other people and candidates enter the race?” she asked. “For them? For personal benefit? For a spotlight for a period of time?”
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Representative Elise Stefanik She has repeatedly associated herself with the former president, calling her upstate New York district “Trump and Elise Country” and saying that, like Trump, she had been “underestimated … at all times.”
Then there it was Florida Rep. Byron Donaldswho compared Trump to sports greats like Michael Jordan, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, figures he said were “tough” and “held everyone accountable.”
Presidential candidates have long valued loyalty in determining who their vice presidents should be. But those who aspire to become Trump’s second-in-command recognize that he particularly values this trait.
Trump is bitterly divided with his vice president, Mike Penceafter Pence refused orders not to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. And as the process of searching for a vice presidential candidate gets underway, there are strong indications that loyalty is on Trump’s mind.
“I talked to him about the kind of pain he went through because of the people he thought were on his team. They write books, they get contracts with CNN,” CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp, a longtime Trump ally who oversees the conference, told Politico. “I don’t think he’s interested in doing a lot of loyalty experiments. I think it will be very important for him in key positions.”
The stakes were top of mind among attendees gathered at CPAC, in part because the conference’s annual poll focuses on who Trump’s choice should be.
Trump has given little indication of who he prefers as vice president, although he has said he is looking for someone who can take over the role of president if necessary.
This content was partially produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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