‘DIVERSITÉ’

Juicy Audio Leaks of Trump Talking Possible VP Picks: Report

The former president appears to be standing by scandal-scarred South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem—among his many other options.

Donald Trump is no closer to choosing a potential running mate for his 2024 bid. At least that’s according to an audio recording from a recent Mar-a-Lago event obtained by Axios Sunday in which the former president speaks about a number of people vying for the position—all of whom he seems to hold a very high opinion of. Some of those featured on the list include Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), (“As a candidate he did a good job, but as a surrogate he’s unbelievable”), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), (“A very smart person. She was in upstate New York when I met her … little did we realize she would be such a big factor”), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), (“Somebody who’s created something very special politically...I like diversity. Diversité as you would say. I like diversité”), and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) (“His name is coming up a lot for vice president!”), among others. Also included in the list was South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who had seemingly fallen out of favor amid a series of bizarre scandals surrounding her soon-to-be-released memoir, in which she admitted to shooting her 14-month-old hunting dog dead over its poor behavior and reportedly claimed falsely to have met North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un. None of that seemed to bother Trump this weekend, however. The former president said Noem was “somebody that I love,” while adding: “She’s been with me, a supporter of mine and I've been a supporter of hers for a long time.”