While there have been wide-ranging reports on their relationship, former President Donald Trump teased Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis as a “good” 2024 running mate.
“I think Ron would be good,” Trump said Saturday at a “History Tour” stop with Bill O’Reilly in Sunrise, Florida.
Trump was pretty clear former Vice President Mike Pence has likely cost himself a spot on a potential Trump 2024 ticket with his declining to contest the 2020 presidential election.
“I think Mike has been very hurt by what took place with respect to Jan. 6,” Trump told O’Reilly and the crowd. “I think he’s been mortally wounded, frankly, because I see the reaction he’s getting from people.
“They say: ‘Why didn’t he just hand it back to the legislatures? Why didn’t he do it?’
“I think Mike would be tough.”
O’Reilly posed the question to Trump about a potential running mate in a symposium-style event.
“I don’t love this question, because there are a lot of them,” Trump said. “There are a lot of people.”
Trump briefly digressed to mock current Vice President Kamala Harris, who is polling at a majority unfavorable (53.3%) in RealClearPolitics polling average.
“By the way, how’s our current vice president doing?” Trump asked to boos and cheers. “Not so good.”
Trump did mention Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the lone Black Republican senator, as a candidate, after reports he had visited Mar-a-Lago for meetings with Trump this fall.
“You have many, you know, they have been in the news all the time,” Trump continued. “Should it be a woman? Should it be – I’ll tell you somebody who’s great is Tim Scott. A lot people love Tim Scott. He’s great, a great person.
“But I think we have a lot of people. I’m not going to get into it exactly.”
Trump also mocked President Joe Biden’s ability or lack of interest in taking unprompted questions like Trump was taking from O’Reilly.
“You think Joe Biden could do this?” Trump asked. “I don’t think so.”
DeSantis’ name brought huge applause, while former Florida GOP Gov. Jeb Bush brought loud boos, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
Trump hailed his “beautiful endorsement” of DeSantis in 2017 in helping the former Florida GOP House member to win the gubernatorial race, the reporter who bought a ticket to the media-less event wrote.
“We had a great time in Sunrise, FL yesterday,” Trump wrote in a statement from his Save America PAC. “Very exciting, informative, and fun. We will be back in the area for a major rally in the not too distant future. See you then!”