Vice President Greg Abbott? Donald Trump says the Texas governor is on his VP short list
Former President Donald Trump said Gov. Greg Abbott is on his short list for vice president in a Thursday interview on Fox News, but the Texas governor says he remains focused on Texas.
Trump, appearing with Abbott on the “Sean Hannity Show”, said the Texas governor is “absolutely” on the list, when asked about possible VP running mates by host Hannity. Trump has not secured the Republican nomination, but is the front-runner and has recently confirmed several vice president contenders.
Trump called Abbott a “spectacular man” and said he was honored to get his endorsement for president.
“He’s done a great job,” Trump said. “Yes, certainly, he would be someone that I would very much consider.”
Trump and Abbott were in Eagle Pass on Thursday, as President Joe Biden visited Brownsville.
Abbott was asked about making Trump’s short list for VP during a Monday news conference at the Governor’s mansion in Austin.
“Obviously that’s very nice of him to say, but I think you all know that my focus is entirely on the state of Texas,” Abbott said. “As you know, I’m working right now on the midterm election process. I’ve already talked about that I’ve announced that I’m running for reelection two years from now. So, my commitment... is to Texas, and I’m staying in Texas.”
Abbott it’s a position he’s taken in the past asked about his interest in being Trump’s running mate.
“My focus is solely on Texas,” he said in Feb. 25 interview on CNN’s State of the Union. “And my interest is first of all, supporting the president, President Trump, getting elected, and that means helping him find the right vice presidential candidate who will help President Trump get elected, and then help him be successful when he does get elected.”
Abbott continued, “I think there’s so many people other than myself who are best situated for that. I can best help President Trump by being the leader of Texas, helping him achieve what he needs to achieve in the great state of Texas.”
In an interview with CBS 11 KTVT-TV, Abbott said he plans to run for reelection as Texas governor.
Trump recently confirmed several other names on his short list during a Fox News town hall: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former Hawaii U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
This story was originally published March 1, 2024 at 8:20 AM.
