Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) makes it on President Donald Trump’s top five list of possible VP picks in the 2024 presidential race, according to a New York Times article.
At least three people, who prefer to maintain their anonymity, told the news outfit that Cotton is among Trump’s favorites, along with Gov. Doug Burgum (R-North Dakota), Senators Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) and JD Vance (R-Ohio).
In an interview with News12, a local TV news outlet in New York, Trump declared that among his shortlist were Rubio, Vance, Ben Carson, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, whom he considers as among “many people who would do a really fantastic job.”
Meanwhile, Trump privately shared with his colleagues that he views Cotton as “a reliable and effective communicator in cable news interviews.”
He was also impressed with Cotton’s record in the Army, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they both graduated from Ivy League schools.
During his appearance at Fox News, the senator was asked about his vice presidential aspirations. One of the anchors, Bret Baier, noted that Hugh Hewitt is betting on him as the GOP vice presidential pick, whom he considers a “realist who relentlessly stays on message and avoids mistakes and takes it right at his political opponents” which he claimed as “keys to a successful VP candidate.”
However, Cotton casually downplayed the possibility of being Trump’s running mate and said that Trump’s campaign hasn’t reached out to him yet.
“I suspect only Donald Trump knows who’s really on his shortlist. When we do talk, we talk about what it’s going to take to win this election in November, to elect President Trump to another term in the White House, and elect a Republican Congress so we can begin to repair the damage the Joe Biden’s presidency has inflicted on this country.”
President Trump earlier remarked in a Scripps interview that he plans to declare his running mate around the period of the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled on July 15 in Milwaukee.
Senator Cotton endorsed Donald Trump in January, days before the Iowa caucus.
During his endorsement, Cotton told Fox News Digital, “When Donald Trump was president, America was safe, strong, and prosperous.”
“With Joe Biden as president, everything has gone to hell: families can’t afford groceries, our border is wide open to a full-blown invasion, and our enemies are starting wars everywhere.”
“I endorse President Trump and I look forward to working with him to win back the White House and the Senate so we can help hardworking Arkansans suffering from Joe Biden’s disastrous policies.”
“It’s time to get our country back on track,” Cotton pressed.
Gov. Doug Burgum for VP! 🙂