OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake spoke about the possibility of becoming Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate earlier this week after he won a historic victory in the Iowa caucuses and just ahead of his New Hampshire primary win on Tuesday.
In an interview earlier in the day with Newsmax TV, Lake appeared to have significantly downplayed the rumors that she was in the potential veep running. Lake told “Wake Up America” host Rob Finnerty she plans to be a U.S. senator instead.
“I’m not looking to you to figure that out,” she told Finnerty, adding it was “premature” to say who Trump’s running mate will be. “The people of Arizona will figure it out. I appreciate your speculation. I see myself on Inauguration Day, standing on the floor of the United States Senate. That’s where I envision myself.”
She added that she will do “everything I can to help President Trump and everything I can to help my country,” but whoever he picks will be a “great choice.”
“Whomever he picks, I will be there on Election Day with bells and whistles and first in line to vote for President Trump and whoever is right below him on that ticket for vice president,” Lake, who was in New Hampshire campaigning for Trump Tuesday morning, added.
“I’ve actually heard nobody in all of the media ask who will serve as Nikki Haley’s vice president because everyone knows she’s not going to make it,” Lake noted, referencing Trump’s last remaining opponent. “It’s a great question to be asking, but I think we need to focus on the real issues.”
She then said that the next president — hopefully Trump — would have to address the single biggest threat to the country at the moment: Securing the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We just had the Supreme Court rule against Texas,” said Lake. “The federal government is ruling against our states that are trying to secure the border. The federal government right now is so corrupt and so tyrannical that they’re doing everything in their power to aid and abet an invasion at our border.”
Lake added that Trump could line up “all of the leading fighters” in his “Make America Great, America First movement… close his eyes and point, and he could find a great vice presidential pick.”
“I’m here in New Hampshire doing whatever I can to get President Trump across the finish line so that my state, my state of Arizona, can finally have security, can finally root out these disgusting, horrible cartel members, and get some safety and prosperity once again.”
She went on to dismiss concerns about Trump’s age.
“First of all, Donald Trump is not an old man,” she said of the 77-year-old Trump. “He is a very sharp man. His cognitive abilities are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I talk to him all the time. He is incredible.”
The 2022 gubernatorial candidate also said that Benjamin Franklin was 81 years old when he helped draft the U.S. Constitution.
“Age is just a number,” said Lake. “It’s what’s going on up here, and there’s a lot going on up here with President Trump. Unfortunately, with Joe Biden, there’s not much going on up here. And so that’s the problem.”
WATCH:
Earlier this month, Lake’s campaign for the U.S. Senate announced that she had raised millions in the first quarter following her filing.
According to the campaign, the 2022 Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate has pulled in $2.1 million after launching her campaign on Oct. 10, Politico reported.
“Her fundraising total includes the period from mid-October to Dec. 31. Her cash-on-hand amount was not immediately available,” the outlet noted further.
Lake is running for former Democrat-turned-Independent Kyrsten Sinema’s seat, the latter of whom has yet to announce whether she’ll run for reelection. The top Democratic contender is Rep. Reuben Gallego.
“Kari Lake is outworking everyone, posting a very strong fundraising haul for her first quarter in the race. Arizona is the best pick-up opportunity for Senate Republicans,” Garrett Ventry, a Lake senior adviser, said in a statement.
