People Close To Trump Urge Him To Select Woman Or Black Man As His Running Mate

Friends and allies of former President Donald Trump have urged him to select a woman or a Black man as his running mate for the 2024 Presidential Election.

Reuters reports one ally said a woman or a Black man as his running mate would be “helpful” to Trump, who needs to improve his standing among Black people and women to have a chance in a rematch against President Joe Biden this November.

Additionally, other allies have given Trump several names to consider, including three women and two Black men.

These include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, and Ben Carson, who served as Trump’s Housing and Urban Development Secretary.

The former president has not made a final decision on a running mate but has been making frequent calls to aides and Republican figures to get their advice on who would be the best choice.

“Every day, everywhere he goes, it’s, ‘What do you think of this person? What do you think of that person?’” said one close ally who has direct knowledge of the inner workings of Trump’s campaign.

During a Fox News town hall in Iowa earlier this month, Trump said, “I know who it’s going to be,” when asked about a running mate, but that hasn’t stopped the former president from seeking advice on a range of candidates.

While the former president mulls the selection, he will have to balance his campaign stops with his numerous court appearances due to the defamation case and four criminal cases against him.

He’s also drawn the ire of his party by potentially killing an emerging bipartisan deal over the southern border, depriving the party of a key legislative achievement on a pressing national priority because he allegedly doesn’t want Biden to earn a victory on the border crisis.

Trump has spent weeks lobbying Republicans in private conversations and public statements on social media to oppose the border compromise being delicately hashed out in the Senate.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) called Trump’s actions “appalling.”