The race is on: Here’s what Trump is looking for in possible running mate

Cami Mondeaux

March 16, 08:44 AM March 16, 08:44 AM

The presidential primaries are just under a year away, and the list of possible candidates is far from settled. Still, former President Donald Trump is already eyeing options for his possible running mate.

Several Republicans are already positioning themselves as contenders to run alongside Trump, who has emerged as an early front-runner, while other party members mull a White House bid. The fight for the No. 2 position is a break from the typical primary process, as candidates usually announce a presidential bid for themselves before jockeying as one’s running mate.

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“A lot of people are right now auditioning,” Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Florida last month.

High-profile conservatives are flocking to Trump’s side as he kicks off his campaign, including lawmakers such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who went to cheer on Trump’s speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month.

However, spokespeople for the former president say a vice presidential search is not under discussion.

“We appreciate all support for President Trump, but the clear focus is on making sure that he wins the Republican nomination and is well posited to win the general election in 2024,” said longtime Trump adviser Jason Miller, according to the .

Still, Trump has frequently talked about options for his running mate — even before he launched his campaign in November. And the former president has a list of traits he’s searching for in a partner.

First and foremost, Trump is looking for someone who is loyal and will back his plans. This comes after Trump felt somewhat betrayed by former Vice President Mike Pence when he refused to decertify the results of the 2020 election at Trump’s request.

Trump has criticized Pence for that decision, even going so far as to say that his former running mate was to blame for the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

“Had he sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with Jan. 6, so in many ways, you can blame him,” Trump told reporters in Davenport, Iowa, on Monday. “Had he sent them back to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, the states, I believe ... you would have had a different outcome. But I also believe you wouldn’t have had 'Jan. 6,' as we call it.”

Trump is also reportedly considering choosing a female running mate this time around, especially one who has garnered enough star power within conservative circles. Still, the former president has indicated reluctance to choose someone who could overpower him on the campaign trail — which could rule out firebrand members of his party such as Greene or Kari Lake, who ran for governor in Arizona last year.

Trump is likely to choose someone who more closely mirrors his personality — marking a shift in strategy from 2016 when he chose Pence, who, in many ways, stood in stark contrast to Trump’s demeanor.

“I think the president learned a lot from his experience with Pence,” Trump adviser Michael Caputo said. “I think this time Trump’s going to be looking for someone cut from the same cloth he is, not from a different, complementary cloth.”

Trump reportedly has a long list of choices he is considering as a possible running mate, which includes former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). Haley has already launched her own presidential bid, and Scott is considering one.

Regardless, Trump said he feels confident in his options.

“We’re going to have a lot of great choices for vice president,” Trump said earlier this week. “We’re gonna pick a great one.”

Mike Pence reveals what he think is his greatest strength if he runs in 2024

Asher Notheis

March 04, 03:48 PM March 04, 03:48 PM

Former Vice President Mike Pence has revealed what he thinks is his greatest strength if he chooses to run for president in the 2024 election.

Pence, who served as vice president under former President Donald Trump, argued that his advantage in a hypothetical 2024 run is that he thinks "the American people know the Pences," according to an interview he did with WHD News Digital.

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"By and large, they know our story and our career, and some are getting to know it better every day," Pence said. "So, we think we have time to be discerning, to be reflective, to listen."

Pence added that he and his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, "both believe that we’ll have a clear sense of our call this spring."

The former vice president discussed his 2024 advantage during a donor retreat hosted by the conservative group the Club for Growth. During a speech Pence made at the event, he argued that "Republicans and conservatives cannot abandon our commitment to fiscal responsibility and reform, and that includes commonsense reforms to Social Security and Medicare."

The topic of reforming Social Security and Medicare has become divisive within the GOP, with Trump warning Republicans to avoid getting involved with adjusting the programs.

The White House race currently has three major candidates among the Republicans: Trump, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Pence avoided backing his former boss when asked about it on Wednesday, saying, "I think we'll have better choices."

As of Saturday, President Joe Biden has not made an official announcement yet on if he will seek reelection. Liberal Democrat Marianne Williamson announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination on Saturday with an attack on the U.S. economic system.

Vice president of Argentina sentenced to six years in prison in corruption case

Misty Severi

December 06, 07:22 PM December 06, 07:22 PM

The vice president of Argentina was sentenced to six years in prison Tuesday after a federal court found her guilty in a high-profile corruption case.

Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who has denied the allegations, is expected to appeal the decision and is not expected to begin her prison sentence until after she finishes her term as vice president due to governmental immunity.

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Prosecutors alleged that public works contracts were awarded to an ally of Fernandez de Kirchner during her tenure as president of Argentina from 2007 to 2015. The ally, Lazaro Baez, then illegally channeled money to Fernandez de Kirchner and her late husband, Nestor Kirchner, another former president.

Three judges from a federal court in Buenos Aires said Fernandez de Kirchner was the "criminally responsible author of the crime of fraudulent administration to the detriment of the public administration," according to Reuters. She was acquitted on one count of "illicit association."

Eight of the vice president's allies were also found guilty on Tuesday and sentenced to between three and six and a half years in prison. Baez was sentenced to six years in prison.

"It is clear that the idea was always to condemn me," Fernandez de Kirchner said. "This is a parallel state and judicial mafia."

The ruling comes months after Fernandez de Kirchner survived an assassination attempt. A man pulled the trigger of a gun aimed at the vice president's head outside of her home in September. However, the gun failed to fire and the vice president was unharmed.

The appeal process for Tuesday's ruling is expected to take years, according to lawyers, and removing Fernandez de Kirchner from office would require a political trial. However, the next presidential election is set for next year, and Fernandez de Kirchner has been barred from holding public office.

Pence bashes Fauci over COVID-19 response under Biden

Brady Knox

November 21, 08:56 PM November 21, 08:56 PM

Former Vice President Mike Pence is bashing Dr. Anthony Fauci and Democratic governors for their responses to COVID-19.

Pence defended the Trump administration's decisions, including Fauci's role, instead turning his criticism to the Biden administration. While defending Fauci's role during the Trump administration, Pence said that Fauci was only effective then because he "stayed in his lane" and that the Biden administration's policy of turning over the crisis to Fauci resulted in an expected catastrophe.

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"I think in the early days of the coronavirus task force, Dr. Fauci was a great source of comfort to millions of Americans," Pence said in an interview with Meet the Press. "He had an easygoing bedside manner through which he communicated at the podium. And as I said, we had a good rapport in those days. Because Dr. Fauci, in my time leading the task force, always stayed in his lane."

"When the Biden administration came in and essentially turned over the management of COVID to Dr. Fauci, I was not surprised to see them put all of their emphasis on vaccines, then after having promised that they would not mandate vaccines, then seeking to mandate vaccines on Americans. ... That was the doctor approach," he said. "And I think when President Biden came in and essentially empowered Dr. Fauci, I think the American people recoiled at that approach. And sadly, the Biden administration lost more Americans in their first year with COVID than we did in our first year, a year where we had none of the tools, few supplies, no testing, ultimately no medicines until the end."

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Pence served as the head of the White House's coronavirus task force at the beginning of the pandemic, turning over control of the task force to the Biden administration in 2021.

The former vice president has defended the record of the Trump administration despite distancing himself from former President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 riot. He has since given several hints that he plans to run against his former boss for president in 2024.

Rapper Coolio dies at 59

Brady Knox

September 28, 09:42 PM September 28, 09:42 PM

"Gangsta's Paradise" singer Coolio has died at age 59, in accordance to new stories.

The hip-hop star, whose legal identify was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was observed dead by his good friend in the bathroom, in accordance to TMZ. Initial responders pronounced him dead at the scene when they arrived, suspecting cardiac arrest.

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The singer shot to intercontinental fame with the release of his 1995 strike "Gangsta's Paradise," which claimed the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Best 100. Even though his other songs never ever reached the heights of that tune, he also launched this sort of hits as "Great Voyage," "1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New)," and "It's All the Way Stay (Now)."

His hit song's legacy was cemented the pursuing year when "Weird Al" Yankovic produced a well-known parody of the tune, "Amish Paradise." Coolio was initially offended with the song's output but afterwards found humor in it. He publicly apologized to and designed up with Yankovic in later decades, in accordance to Yahoo News.

"I sat down, and I actually considered it out," he stated. "I was like, 'Wait a moment.' I was like, 'Coolio, who the f*** do you assume you are? He did Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson failed to get mad.'"

In later years, Coolio served as a lengthy-shot vice presidential applicant in the 2020 election, jogging along with porn star Cherie DeVille.

He served as a spokesman for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of The usa, acquiring experienced from bronchial asthma himself.