This past Wednesday, Former President Donald Trump and Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) met in the Old Dominion. Trump says he can run for Virginia’s 13 electoral votes in November.
The meeting apparently took place at the Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C., which is in northern Virginia. This was before Trump’s important meeting with congressional Republicans on Thursday in Washington, D.C.; it was his first trip back to Capitol Hill since becoming president.
Several news sources say that the two talked about several things, including how the former president can win Virginia in November. However, they did not talk about Youngkin as a possible running mate for Trump.
Trump told Aishah Hasnie of Fox News that Youngkin is “very good” when she asked him if the governor could be his choice for vice president.
“He’s great. I think I could think about that. Yes. That question hasn’t been asked of me, but he would be on that list. He’s great. Trump said, “We had a great meeting about Virginia.”
Trump lost the state in 2016 and 2020, but he held a televised gathering in support of Youngkin just days before the election. While Youngkin was running for governor in 2021, he kept his distance from Trump. As the leader of the state, Youngkin has built his own brand as the face of the Virginia GOP that is separate from Trump’s.
Before he said he would run for president in 2024, Trump attacked Youngkin, who was being considered as a GOP candidate, in a post on Truth Social. He did this by telling Youngkin of the time he supported his run for governor.
“That’s an interesting point of view, Young Kin.” (Does that sound Chinese?) in Virginia couldn’t have won without me. I endorsed him, held a big Trump rally for him over the phone, and got MAGA to vote for him. Without those things, he would not have come close to winning. He knows that, though, and says so. Also, things are tough with the Democrats in Virginia, but he’ll get it done!” Trump wrote in a post in November 2022.
When asked about Trump’s slurs, Youngkin said, “That’s not how I roll.”
The governor of Virginia wouldn’t back anyone in the Republican presidential primary until after Trump easily won the Virginia GOP primary and Nikki Haley, the last candidate still running against Trump, dropped out.
It was clear that people in the Commonwealth and across the country wanted President Donald J. Trump to be elected, and Youngkin backed him as president in a March speech.
“His record on securing the border, restoring American leadership around the world, cutting taxes, and lowering the cost of living for all Americans is very different from today’s open borders, failed leadership on the world stage, high prices, and rampant inflation.” He also said, “We don’t need four more years of President Biden. It’s time to come together behind strong leadership and policies that help our great country grow.”
Trump is likely to choose his running mate around the time of next month’s Republican National Convention.
Source: The Gazette
