Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) have appeared on seemingly every VP shortlist as a potential running mate with former President Donald Trump (R). But, the Tallahassee Democrat included a third candidate whose name has floated around the position: Tucker Carlson.
The former Fox News host reportedly resides in Southwest Florida. Trump supporters consistently praised Carlson for his opinion news program that aired from 2016 to 2023. His contract with Fox eventually was terminated – likely due to Fox’s $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems – an institution Carlson questioned.
Despite his departure from cable news, the Democrat wrote that Tucker “remains a face of conservative media” with the ability to “craft a message that appeals to Trump’s MAGA base.” With a 2023 Gallup Poll demonstrating his popularity and trustworthiness, name recognition will not be a problem for a hypothetical Trump/Carlson ticket.
Moreover, as the newspaper pointed out, people are used to seeing former President Trump and Tucker Carlson interact with each other as they sat down for a 45-minute interview during the first Republican debate that Trump declined to attend.
However, the Tallahassee Democrat also mentioned that Carlson could push away independent voters. The article states, “Carlson is a polarizing figure with years of controversial comments who is known to flirt with conspiracy theories that could further alienate independent voters … Being as popular as the person at the top of the ticket could be a disqualification. VP picks historically don’t outpace the presidential nominee.”
Overall, Tucker Carlson being tapped as the running mate for Trump seems like a longshot. However, strange things have happened in the world of politics.
A lot of chatter has recently circulated names such as Governor Doug Burgum (R-ND) and Sen. Rubio.
After the debate, The Florida senator discussed the possibility of a Trump-Rubio ticket and even took a shot at his potential opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris (D).
“First of all, one person makes that choice (referring to Trump for his VP) and he's got a lot of really good people to pick from,” said Sen. Rubio. “We got like 10 or 12 people that are better than Kamala Harris or anybody they can come up with. So, I think anybody who's considered for that should be honored and you have an opportunity to serve our country at that level, especially now with the disaster that we're facing.”
Trump is expected to announce his running mate during the Republican National Convention from July 15-18 in Milwaukee.
