Trump rallies with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem in possible veepstakes hint

Former President Donald Trump headed to South Dakota Friday for a fundraiser with Gov. Kristi Noem in a visit that puts a fresh spotlight on the possible vice presidential candidate and others who might be on the short list to join his ticket.

With Trump maintaining a commanding lead in the Republican presidential primary, GOP insiders are starting to focus on his potential choice for a 2024 running mate and Noem checks some of the most important boxes.

Although little known nationally, Noem is a staunch MAGA conservative, a female heartland governor and an effective, youthful campaigner.

Noem has also built a strong personal bond with Trump, including hosting a rally in the shadow of the state’s famed Mt. Rushmore. She later gave him an imitation model of the landmark with his own visage appearing alongside other iconic presidents like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Matthew Dowd, who served as the main reelection campaign strategist for President George W. Bush, compared her to another little known small state governor with very conservative views.

“She s sort of the South Dakota version of Sarah Palin,” Dowd said on MSNBC.

Noem is just one of a handful of people regularly mentioned as potential running mates for Trump.

Trump himself has called the Republican presidential debates, which he has so far vowed to skip, as de facto auditions for the No. 2 spot on his ticket.

Many of the possible veeps are women or people of color, a nod to the fact that Trump might want to use the vice presidential pick to widen his appeal beyond his MAGA base of white working class voters.

Vivek Ramaswamy — an Ohio-born Republican of Indian Hindu descent — caught the eye of Trump with his outspoken performance at the debate in which he staked out a claim as the most fervent supporter of the former president.

The biotech entrepreneur millionaire also showed impressive attack dog chops, a key attribute for any would-be vice presidential candidate.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, both of whom are running against Trump in the presidential primary race, have long been considered on Trump’s potential VP short list.

Haley made some waves at the recent presidential debate when she branded Trump as “the most unpopular political leader in the country.” Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, would bring diversity to the ticket. He is also an evangelical Christian conservative and staunch opponent of abortion rights.

In some ways, Scott would play a similar role on a Trump ticket as ex-Vice President Mike Pence did: a validator for the controversial ex-president to key right wing GOP constituencies.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also makes no secret of her ambitions.

The sharp-elbowed MAGA stalwart is reportedly jostling for Trump’s eye with Kari Lake, the losing Arizona gubernatorial candidate.

Lake is a telegenic former news reporter adept at brushing off criticism.

Both MTG and Lake hail from key battleground states. But they are also not particularly popular in those states so it’s not at all clear whether they would help or hurt Trump.

GOP analysts concede most of the Trump veepstakes chatter is pure speculation and Trump’s own feelings about potential candidates will loom large.

Maybe there is still enough time for Trump to pull a switcheroo and embrace Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. After all, the two were stauch allies until Trump went nuclear on DeSantis after his rival emerged the most-serious threat to his comeback presidential bid from inside the GOP.