OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The namesake son of former President Donald Trump has dropped a famous name as someone his dad is considering for running mate: Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson.
During an interview with Newsmax TV last week, Donald Trump Jr. said that Carlson would be a good running mate and eventual vice president, though Carlson himself seems to have dismissed the notion.
“I mean, they’re very friendly; I think they agree on virtually all of these things. They certainly agree on stopping the never-ending wars. And so, I would love to see that happen. That would certainly be a contender,” he said in comments first noted by Mediaite.
According to sources who spoke to CBS News last month, Trump “has been asking allies and advisers for their thoughts about Nikki Haley as a potential vice presidential candidate.” Haley, who served as governor of South Carolina and as his UN ambassador, was the first to declare her candidacy for the GOP nomination after Trump had made his intentions to do so very clear for months.
But Carlson himself has thrown cold water on that potential ticket.
During a live discussion ahead of the Christmas holiday last week hosted by “Timcast” podcaster Tim Pool at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, the host asked Carlson, “Would you vote for Trump if he chose Nikki as VP?”
Carlson, whose name has been mentioned as a potential Trump running mate as well, responded: “I would not only not vote for that ticket, I would advocate against it as strongly as I could.”
“That’s just poison. I mean, here’s someone who’s actively opposed to the interests of the country I grew up in, who endorsed the BLM riots, and who is not left but is neoliberal in the darkest, most – speaking of nihilist – nihilistic way, and has no real popular support, is a creature of the oligarchs,” he continued. “So yeah, that would be– that would be reason to oppose the ticket.”
Tucker says he would 'advocate against' Trump election if he picks Haley has his running mate. pic.twitter.com/u2EVgmHXb3
— USA Features Media (@UsaFeatures) December 19, 2023
Haley remains Trump’s last remaining serious contender for the 2024 nominee, and her campaign just got some horrific news ahead of her home state primary in South Carolina.
The new poll shows the former president with a 27-point lead on Haley in the Palmetto State, with 57 percent support, while Haley has 31 percent and 11 percent uncertain, The New York Post reported.
The former president was ahead of Haley in every group except for Democrats, who gave Haley 49 percent support.
The Post noted further:
More than two-thirds of respondents (68%) said they held favorable views of Trump, with 44% saying those views were “strongly favorable.”
By contrast, only 56% said they had favorable opinions of Haley, with just 23% saying their views of her were “strongly favorable.”
The economy and immigration were far and away the top issues for South Carolina voters, with 66% saying the former was one of their top two issues and half saying the same of “fighting illegal immigration.”
Haley enters the South Carolina contest off a third-place finish in Iowa, behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and an 11 percentage-point loss to the 45th president in New Hampshire.
Haley is 0-2 against Trump after he won the first-in-the-nation caucuses in Iowa and the New Hampshire primary last week.
Haley spoke to supporters after the race was called and vowed to stay in the race until the end. Despite losing both Iowa and New Hampshire — while also trailing big in Nevada and South Carolina polls — Haley claimed she had a path forward.
Haley acknowledged her defeat but was adamant that “we keep moving up.”
“I want to congratulate Donald Trump,” she said before knocking the “political class” for “saying this race is over,” as she vowed to continue running.
