As former President Donald Trump maintains large polling leads in the 2024 Republican primaries, some voices in right-wing media are allowing their minds to wander to Trump’s pick for vice presidential nominee almost half a year before the first votes are cast. A handful of names have drawn early attention as potential sidekicks for a second Trump presidency — including one Democratic primary candidate as part of a supposed “unity ticket.” 

With so much time to go before anyone votes, let alone the Republican nominating convention in July 2024, it speaks to the stranglehold Trumpism has on the GOP that many right-wing commentators are just assuming (probably correctly) that Trump will win the primary. Although anything can happen in the interim, including a Trump primary loss, several names have already made notable appearances as a potential Trump running mate.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy, a Fox News regular, has drawn a lot of right-wing media attention for his persistent rise in the GOP primary polls — still far behind Trump — and also as a potential vice presidential candidate. TheBlaze founder Glenn Beck is particularly animated about the idea, telling his podcast audience:

GLENN BECK (HOST): I’m hoping that he is a vice presidential candidate. And, you know, I said earlier I think that Ramaswamy will be the candidate that Donald Trump chooses. I have no idea, because Trump could choose anyone, and blow this all to hell. But Ramaswamy is the kind of guy that is a out-of-the-box thinker. I think he would be deferential to Trump. The only problem is is that Donald Trump might think that he might be overshadowed by Ramaswamy, but I don't think Ramaswamy would do that. I think he would play a role, but he would be a very good adviser to Trump.

On Fox & Friends Weekend, ahead of an interview with Ramaswamy, Fox News Sunday anchor Shannon Bream was asked if she believed he was running for president or as a potential Trump running mate. Noting that Ramaswamy said he would not accept a Cabinet position, Bream speculated that “it's hard to imagine that if the president — former president of the United States — becomes the nominee and calls you to be his vice president, that you wouldn’t be interested in getting on board.” Bream did not note that Ramaswamy has publicly denied that he would be interested in the vice presidency.

Tim Scott

The South Carolina senator and 2024 Republican primary candidate has been mentioned as a potential Trump vice presidential candidate, even by Trump himself. On Fox News, after anchor Martha MacCallum suggested that Trump might select Scott, longtime Fox contributor Ari Fleischer told her to “keep your eye on Sen. Scott. I’ll predict [to] you, Martha, Sen. Scott’s going to have a moment this fall.”

“Every cycle you have somebody who surges, and then people really start to pay more attention to them, and I think Tim Scott is going to be that guy,” Fleischer predicted. “He’s happy. He loves what he does. He inspires you about the United States of America. He’s a feel-good leader,” Fleischer said, suggesting a contrast on the hypothetical ticket versus the brash, hostile Trump.

Fox Business host and former Trump official Larry Kudlow asked right-wing radio host Mark Simone “is there a vice president in” the GOP primary field. Simone explained that primary candidates “want to impress people and elevate [their] status,” and — in addition to Ramaswamy — he said that Scott has “impressed people” and is “definitely in the Cabinet,” noting that “Donald Trump has privately looked at him as a vice presidential choice.” 

Kari Lake

Lake, a failed gubernatorial candidate in Arizona who falsely cried election fraud and further ingrained herself to Trump’s base, enjoyed months of reporting and speculation as a potential Trump running mate. Near the peak of her apparent campaign to be named to the ticket, Lake soaked up praise from right-wing media figures like radio host Eric Metaxas, who told her that “I secretly hope that you will be President Trump's vice presidential candidate,” before asking if she has “any, like, Choctaw blood or African American in your back — anything like that?" 

“I’m just American,” Lake replied.

Although The Daily Beast reported that Trump has since grown tired of Lake’s “spotlight hound” behavior, according to one aide, she appears to maintain a measure of support among the base. While criticizing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for skipping his Turning Point Action Conference, Trump ally and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk noted that Lake won the event’s vice presidential straw poll, with 30.8% of the vote. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy, who is actually a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, has drawn an immense amount of right-wing media attention since announcing his campaign in the spring, seemingly due to vague hopes that he will disrupt the Democratic primary enough to weaken President Joe Biden in the general election. But OutKick founder and Fox contributor Clay Travis thinks that Trump should pick Kennedy as vice president, in an anti-establishment “unity ticket.” 

Claiming that “a desperate craving for honesty in this country crosses party lines,” Travis said that he would be “inclined, if I were Trump, to potentially put RFK Jr. on as my running mate to attempt a unity ticket.” Travis demurred, saying, “I don’t know if Trump would do it, but I would find it intriguing if he were the nominee.”

The following day, Travis returned to the same topic on OutKick the Show, claiming that “a desperate craving for people who are anti-establishment” was driving Kennedy to success in Travis’ Twitter polls of imaginary elections against establishment Republicans. “Even running as a Democrat, he is dominating in my polls.” 

Voters are looking for “someone who will stand up to establishment power brokers,” said Travis, listing off conservatives’ enemies including “big drug companies, the COVID shot in general,” the FBI, and “everyone that is trying to stifle debate and stifle your ability to say what you believe.” 

“And what’s interesting is RFK Jr. is maybe more anti-establishment than any Republican that is running,” Travis continued, including Trump.

“I actually think there’s not an awful chance that RFK Jr. could end up being Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate, in a unity ticket of sorts,” Travis concluded, claiming that Kennedy “reinforces” the anti-establishment credentials that Trump had in 2016.