A raft of names has been suggested for now-accepted GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump to pick as his possible 2024 vice-presidential running mate.
During an episode of “The Ingraham Angle,” six came up. These included three former GOP candidates—Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—as well as Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard whose views seem to have shifted rightward since her days in Congress as a Democrat.
It was clearly the right response at this juncture—why make enemies and why kill the suspense?
Moreover, some of the aforementioned six, notably Mr. Ramaswamy and possibly Ms. Gabbard, may end up with cabinet posts. The others may be more valuable retaining their current positions, just as would Kari Lake, surprisingly not mentioned by Ms. Ingraham’s audience, were she to win her senate race in Arizona. Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, another presidential drop-out who now strongly backs Mr. Trump, might end up being added to his cabinet, heading the Department of Energy for which Mr. Burgum is eminently qualified.
Also apparently preferring to retain her current position, though highly qualified, is new Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders
One other name was the most conspicuously absent from Ms. Ingraham’s list, however.
It is the one I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Trump chooses in the end—retired neurosurgeon and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Dr. Ben Carson.
Dr. Carson would make an excellent choice for several reasons.
Most importantly, as Mr. Trump has said himself, the person he chooses must be someone fully capable of taking over the presidency at a moment’s notice.
This is not just because Mr. Trump, seemingly healthy and energetic beyond his years, would still be 78 on assuming office a second time. Almost anything can happen in our world, some too bleak to be discussed but easily imaginable to readers. If Mr. Trump wins, the likelihood of the left “acting out” may surpass anything in the history of our country. What results from that is not fun to contemplate.
Beyond that grim prospect, a suitable, indeed admirable, replacement for the president should be standard operating procedure in the choice of vice-presidential candidate in all presidential elections, though this has not often been the case.
A man of vast accomplishment and experience, Dr. Carson is no affirmative action product who succeeded through a biased, corrupt, and ultimately reactionary system of racial preference. He made it on merit, and the intelligence and grit that implies, as few have of any race. The story of his pulling himself up via the urging of an illiterate mother to become the first neurosurgeon to separate conjoined twins joined at the head is extraordinary.
His life demonstrates what a man can do regardless of his background if he applies himself—a lesson, hopefully even a possible inspiration, for all young Americans in this era when they all sorely need it, no matter their color or ethnicity.
Dr. Carson would be the first person elected to high office in the United States with a significant scientific background since President Herbert Hoover (1929–1933), who was a mining engineer.
But President Hoover did nothing of earth-shattering significance compared to Dr. Carson’s surgical accomplishments that made him an international celebrity and changed the medical approach to this truly awful condition.
With the escalating pace of scientific and technological advancement in this era of AI, such expertise will be even more necessary than it was in Mr. Hoover’s day. As a man of faith, especially, along with his scientific expertise, Dr. Carson would be well-placed to monitor and safeguard us against these so-called advances that are leading humanity to an ignoble transhumanist future.
He would also be respected at international meetings when sent on missions by a President Trump, a far cry from the current situation where many cringe when the vice president represents our country.
Mr. Trump tells us frequently we are a laughingstock because of who is representing us on the world stage.
Who better to counteract that than Dr. Carson, a man with gravitas earned from accomplishments beyond, and arguably more impressive than, those in the political realm?
Further, he has already served four years with and under President Trump with no discernible dissension between the men. They seem to work together smoothly. They also complement each other well with their different skills.
Like the rest of us, it must be said that Dr. Carson is not a perfect man. If one were to believe Wikipedia—an outlet that has long betrayed its supposedly even-handed intentions and therefore should be regarded with skepticism—the doctor has allegedly done some exaggerating, particularly in an autobiography written with a collaborator. He also has allegedly exploited his celebrity for financial gain, though nowhere to the extent of many politicians.
Another criticism that has surfaced was that he was allegedly too easily manipulated by staff while in charge of HUD. How valid this is, I have no way of knowing, nor do I have a way of evaluating the degree to which Dr. Carson has learned from the experience, but it is obvious he has the intelligence to do so. Also it is hard to say a neurosurgeon does not have a spine. It is not an occupation for the weak-willed.
I have some, though slim, personal experience of the doctor. Early during the 2016 campaign when Dr. Carson was something of a frontrunner for the GOP nomination, I interviewed him on the hustings in Iowa for PJ Media. He seemed at the time extremely smart but not the least bit arrogant, a unique combination not only in politics but in the world in general. Later, I have shaken his hand once or twice and reacted no differently.
I write all this not because, as many of us would, I smile at the idea of his debating Kamala Harris. Ms. Harris will not debate Dr. Carson any more than Mr. Biden will debate Mr. Trump.
But think about the vice presidents we have had in recent years and think how many of them are worthy of comparison with Ben Carson. I would wager not many.
