OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik is a rising star in the party and has the full support of former President Donald Trump.
The 45th president recently praised Stefanik’s meteoric rise in the party, even teasing that she may be the president in the near future.
Stefanik, the No. 3 GOP member as head of the House Republican Conference, earned high praise from Trump.
“I want to congratulate Elise on her success. Man is she moving fast. That means at this rate she’ll be President in about 6 years,” Trump remarked. “She’s always been a friend and people would say she’s upwardly mobile. She goes to Washington as a young beautiful woman who took over and all of a sudden she becomes a rocket ship, she’s the boss. She’s been a great boss, a strong boss.”
A recent report from CNN detailed how Stefanik could be Trump’s running mate in 2024 should he decide to run.
While talk about a 2024 vice presidential pick is of course premature, conversations about adding Stefanik to a future Trump ticket have gained steam in recent weeks at Mar-a-Lago and in other Republican circles, sources said. Current and former advisers and others in Trump’s orbit have privately argued that the New York Republican, who replaced Rep. Liz Cheney as the no. 3 House Republican last year, is a fierce and loyal attack dog, and Trump would benefit from tapping a woman for vice president should he run again.
Two people familiar with the matter said Trump has been surveying close friends and allies on what they think of Stefanik, one of several Republican women he is possibly eyeing for the potential VP slot, though he has not ruled out a few male contenders, too. One of these people said the former President believes Stefanik has undergone a genuine transformation — leaving the moderate wing of the party to join its increasingly powerful “America First” flank.
“There is a part of Trump who thinks he needs a female VP. He definitely likes her, likely because of how effusive she is to him,” one Trump adviser said.
Chris Ruddy, a longtime friend of Trump’s, echoed a similar sentiment.
“President Trump thinks very highly of Elise Stefanik. … She has been talked about in circles close to him as a potential vice presidential,” he told CNN. “And there’s a feeling among a lot of people on the Republican side that they need to have a woman on the ticket this time.”
“It’s unclear whether Stefanik would be interested in serving as Trump’s running mate, but it’s clear she has ambitions beyond on her current role in leadership: she has been eyeing the GOP whip job if Republicans win the House majority next year. She could also make a play for the top spot on the House Education and Labor Committee, according to GOP lawmakers familiar with Stefanik’s thinking. Having Trump’s support could boost Stefanik in whatever she decides to do, especially inside a conference that is still deferential to the ex-President,” CNN reported.
Last week, Stefanik revealed Trump will play a crucial role in November’s midterm elections as Republicans look to win back control of Congress.
“He’s going to play a really important role. We’re working as one team to make sure that our voters turn out and I will tell you, voters across this country have buyer’s remorse for those that voted for Joe Biden because they’re seeing the devastating impacts of his policies and they were doing a lot better under President Trump’s leadership,” Stefanik said.
“So, we have an opportunity to win, just not Republicans, but independents and Democrats. That’s how I’ve been able to win my district, and that’s a recipe for success elsewhere in the country. An example is Mayra Flores’ district. We worked as one team both with people that voted for President Trump, but also earning back those voters who maybe they voted for Joe Biden, but they see the inflation, they see the skyrocketing energy,” she added.
.@EliseStefanik says Trump will play 'really important role' in midterms https://t.co/0vVlo05PZi
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 15, 2022
