Former President Donald Trump is reportedly considering Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, as his running mate for 2024, after she impressed him with her performance at a congressional hearing on antisemitism.
According to reports, Trump praised Stefanik as “a killer” during a dinner with Mar-a-Lago members in late December, and nodded approvingly when she was mentioned as a possible vice-presidential choice.
Stefanik, 39, is the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference and a staunch Trump ally. She rose to prominence in 2019, when she defended Trump during his first impeachment trial. She also supported his false claims of election fraud in 2020, and voted to object to the certification of some states’ electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021, the same day a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.
Stefanik has also been vocal about the issue of antisemitism, especially on college campuses. In December, she grilled the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at a House hearing, asking them if calling for the genocide of Jews violated their rules on bullying and harassment. Two of the presidents later resigned amid criticism.
Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon told NBC that Stefanik was “at the top” of the list of potential running mates, citing her loyalty and media savvy. A Republican campaign operative said that Trump valued loyalty above all else, especially after feeling betrayed by his former vice president Mike Pence, who refused to block the certification of the election results.
Stefanik is expected to campaign with Trump in New Hampshire this week, ahead of the state’s primary on Tuesday. Trump won the Iowa caucuses last week, despite facing 91 criminal charges, attempts to keep him off the ballot, and civil lawsuits.
Stefanik did not confirm or deny her interest in being Trump’s running mate, telling NBC: “I’m not going to get into any of my conversations with President Trump. I’m honored to call him a friend. I’m proud to be the first member of Congress to have endorsed his re-election, and he had a huge win in Iowa. So we’re very excited about that.”
The Trump campaign did not comment on the report.
