Trump, Youngkin in 2024? Why Virginia’s governor could be chosen as vice president

NORFOLK, Va. — As speculation grows over Donald Trump’s choice as vice presidential candidate in the 2024 presidential election, one Old Dominion name is sparking some discussion.

The former president and presumptive Republican nominee praised Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin as a possible vice presidential pick in comments to Fox News reporter Aishah Hasnie.

“He’s great,” Trump told Hasnie when asked if he liked Youngkin as vice president. “And I think I might consider it. Yes. I haven’t been asked that question, but he would be on that list. He’s very good. We had a great meeting about Virginia.”

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Trump’s comments appear to be a burial of the hatchet after the former president used his social media platform Truth Social in 2022 to attack Youngkin with a racist remark, claiming Youngkin could not have won the race for office. 2021 governorship without his help.

This comes after the two Republicans met in northern Virginia on Wednesday. On Thursday, Youngkin confirmed to 13News Now that the meeting was about strategy on how Trump can win Virginia in November.

“With all the polling that has shown that Virginia is competitive at the presidential level, and especially with respect to Joe Biden’s 10-point victory four years ago, there is a lot of interest in how this election will play out. . leave,” Youngkin told 13News Now.

He continued: “We talked about Virginia and how I was able to win my election in 2021 and lessons learned.”

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Trump was first elected to the presidency in 2016, but lost his re-election to Joe Biden in 2020. He recently became the first former US president to be convicted of crimes and faces three other criminal cases that have not yet been judged.

With five months until Election Day, a recent Roanoke College poll shows a tight race between Trump and Biden, with both candidates polling at 42% in Virginia.

Virginia has long oscillated between Republican and Democratic, but the state has not gone with a Republican presidential candidate since the 2004 election, and political forecasters such as Sabato’s Crystal Ball believe the same thing will happen This year.

Trump choosing Youngkin as his 2024 running mate would mirror his 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton’s strategy of choosing Virginia U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine to boost her chances in the state. The choice would also ensure a political future for Youngkin, who is not eligible for a second term as governor of Virginia in 2025.

Despite speculation, Youngkin was not on the list of potential vice presidential candidates from whom the Trump campaign had requested information, according to a recent ABC News report. Among the vice presidential candidates being considered are North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, as well as U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and JD Vance.

Additionally, Trump told Fox News that his vice presidential nominee was likely in the room with him when he met with congressional Republicans on Capitol Hill on Thursday.

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13News Now reached out to Youngkin’s office for a statement on Trump’s comments, but did not hear back as of the time this article was published.