Comments quickly descended into misogyny, racism, and antisemitism.
“Nope, no females—too susceptible to coercion, manipulation, bribery and group think,” a member of The Donald wrote. ”We need another pair of big brass balls in the VP position, no more weak Judas Pence’s.”
“No women, no blacks!” another wrote, before someone else added: “And no fucking jews.”
Photograph: Getty Images
Kari Lake
Kari Lake, a former TV star turned election conspiracist, has been one of Trump’s most vocal supporters since losing her own election for governor in Arizona in 2022. She’s also continued to claim, without evidence, 2020 and 2022 election fraud.
Lake is now running for Senate in Arizona and, when asked about being vice president, recently told GB News: “I want to help [Trump] in the Senate. I really think that he’s going to need help in the Senate.” However, she has also been promoting her own candidacy for the job, posting images of herself on Truth Social alongside Trump following his Iowa caucus victory in what some on the platform described as a 2024 election poster.
Trump’s staunchest supporters appear to be all for it.
“This is a mandate from the people, So Donald Trump should choose the VP best for America. That’s Kari Lake,” QAnon influencer Pepe Deluxe wrote on their Telegram channel that has over 60,000 followers.
“I think she’s as close to a female Trump that we’ll get,” one member on The Donald wrote. “She don’t put up with bullshit and she’ll call out the fraud.”
Lake has endeared herself to the MAGA wing of the Republican Party, and in particular to Steve Bannon who has called Lake “the future” of the party (in return, Lake has called Bannon a “stud muffin.”)
Photograph: Getty Images
Vivek Ramaswamy
Almost as soon as entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announced he was ending his campaign for the GOP nomination, online chatter turned to his potential as a vice presidential candidate. This was amplified last week when he appeared alongside Trump in New Hampshire and, like Stefanik, the crowd began chanting “VP, VP, VP.” Over the last few months, Ramaswamy has upped his far-right bonafides by openly embracing right-wing conspiracies including the great replacement theory which was widely celebrated by the white supremacist community online.
But on MAGA forums and fringe social media sites, Ramaswamy’s possible candidacy is a polarizing topic.
