South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem thinks she knows what former President Donald Trump requires in a running mate.
During an interview with Fox News host Lawrence Jones, Noem offered her perspective on the accomplishments, qualifications, and attitudes a vice president for Trump would need to bring to the office.
“I’m all-in to do what I can to help the team. He needs somebody that actually is not part of the swamp, I think. He needs a business owner,” Noem said. “He needs somebody who’s been a commander-in-chief, somebody who makes decisions when things get tough.”
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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem gestures as she speaks at the Calvin Coolidge Foundation conference at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
She added, “Those are his qualifications, and he needs to know he can have somebody around him that trusts him and he trusts and will fight.”
Noem was among at least half a dozen contenders — including three former rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — revealed to be on Trump’s shortlist for a running mate during a special episode of Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”
“He’s got a lot of jobs to do when you’re President of the United States. He needs to have people on his team that fight for him every single day,” Noem told Jones.
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Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters headquarters in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“So, when he picks whoever it is a vice president, I’ll support whoever he picks, and I’m going to make sure that I’m someone who still continues to defend and fight for his policies,” the governor said.
During the interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump was asked about half a dozen potential running mate choices: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a Democrat turned independent.
“Are they all on your shortlist?” host Laura Ingraham asked the former president.
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Gov. Kristi Noem visits the southern border at Eagle Pass, Texas. (Office of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem)
“They are,” Trump answered. “Honestly, all of those people are good. They’re all good, they’re all solid.”
Trump has a history of making comments off the cuff, and many in the political world claim some of the individuals listed are a stretch as viable options for vice president.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.