(ConservativeInsider.org) – Donald Trump privately met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, fueling speculation that he might choose the governor as his running mate in the 2024 elections.
The former president has previously revealed some names on his vice presidential shortlist, including DeSantis, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
DeSantis announced his support for Trump at the time of withdrawing his own Republican nomination. However, since then, he has often criticized the former president and even denounced the possibility of serving as Trump’s vice president.
Some technicalities will also discourage Trump from choosing DeSantis as his running mate.
According to the twelfth amendment to the US Constitution, which modified the electoral college laws, when electors meet in December to choose the President and the Vice President, they are not allowed to vote for both candidates from their own state. This means that Florida electors cannot vote for either Trump or DeSantis, as both politicians belong to Florida.
This technicality was also supposed to come into play in the contentious presidential elections of 2000 when George W. Bush chose Dick Cheney as his running mate, and both of them belonged to Texas. However, Cheney sold his Texas home, obtained a Wyoming driving license, and moved there before the elections, as he owned a property in Wyoming as well.
Texas eventually voted red in that election, which helped Republicans reach 271 electoral college votes and clinch the White House. Without 32 votes of the Lone Star State, Bush’s rival, Al Gore, had enough votes to win the presidency.
Now, in 2024, Florida has 30 electoral college votes, and the state is likely to vote red. Trump is currently leading against Biden by a 10.5% margin and won the state in both 2016 and 2020 presidential bids.
There are also speculations that Trump met the Florida Governor to resolve his differences with him as DeSantis’s support can help him win some important votes.
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