U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake responded to rumors and speculation that she might be picked as former President Donald Trump’s running mate in 2024.
Ms. Lake, a former Arizona gubernatorial candidate who is now running for the state’s Senate seat in 2024, told GBNews that she is focused on winning her race.
The seat for which she is vying is held by independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who hasn’t formally announced that she is running for reelection.
Without GOP control of the Senate, it will be tough to get President Trump’s programs “passed” through Congress, Ms. Lake said. “His agenda is going to be to put America first, and I’m going to help in any way that I can,” the Republican added.
When asked about whether she is considering becoming his vice presidential nominee, Ms. Lake demurred by saying that she wants “to help him in the Senate. I really think that he’s going to need help in the Senate.”
“We have a chance to bring back that Senate majority. So I’m going to do whatever I can to help my country,” she continued.
“I have two children and I worry deeply about their future. They can’t even fathom living the American dream. And so we have to get that back.”
Last year, a Trump campaign spokesman told news outlets that, regarding speculation, “anyone who thinks they know what President Trump is going to do is seriously misinformed and trying to curry favor with ‘potential’ V.P. candidates.'”
“President Trump will choose his running mate on his own time, and those who are playing the media game are doing so at their own peril,” the spokesperson said.
It comes as the former president disputed claims that he is looking to choose former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is running against him for the Republican Party presidential nomination.
Haley ‘Not Tough Enough’
“I know her very well. She’s not tough enough. She’s not smart enough. And she wasn’t respected enough. She cannot do this job,” he added.“She’s not going to be able to deal with President Xi [Jinping]. She’s not going to be able to deal with [Vladimir] Putin,” he said, referring to the respective leaders of China and Russia.
Later, during an interview with Fox News, President Trump said that there is “no rush” to pick a No. 2 because it “won’t have any impact at all.”
When asked about whether Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is on his short-list, the former president said he is a “great guy” but noted that other South Carolina politicians endorsed him as well.
“You know, [Scott] endorsed me. There’s an example, [Nikki Haley] comes from South Carolina, Tim Scott is from South Carolina. But if you look [at] the governor, great governor, another senator [Lindsey Graham]. We happen to like Lindsey,” he said.
Haley: I Don’t Want to Be VP
As for Ms. Haley, who served in the Trump administration as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, she told Politico on Jan. 19 that she’s not looking to be vice president. Such a role, she added, is “off the table.”“I’ve said from the very beginning: I don’t play for second. I don’t want to be anybody’s vice president,” Ms. Haley told the outlet.
In another interview, she was more direct. “I do not want to be vice president. Period. I don’t know how many more times I can say that,” Ms. Haley said.
