Anna Paulina Luna, the freshman representative from Florida, put forward one of her fellow MAGA-aligned House GOP colleagues as a potential 2024 running mate for former President Donald Trump.
Trump is currently seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination with the aim of retaking the White House after losing to President Joe Biden in 2020. The former president currently leads the packed field of GOP candidates, with early polling regularly giving him 50 percent support from likely Republican 2024 voters, and a double-digit lead over his closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
On Sunday, Luna, who was elected to represent Florida's 13th District in the 2022 midterms with an endorsement from Trump, took to Twitter to suggest another Trump loyalist for the job: Byron Donalds. Donalds, a Florida Republican who was elected to represent the state's 19th District in 2020 has in the past described himself as a "Trump-supporting, gun-owning, liberty-loving, pro-life, politically incorrect Black man."
The 2024 GOP primary season will not begin until early next year with the Iowa caucuses. Most candidates for president do not add a vice presidential running mate to their campaign until much farther into the race when it is clear that they are more likely to win their party's nomination. While Trump has not made any decision or indication about a pick for 2024, speculation has still run rampant.
"My friend [Byron Donalds] would make an incredible VP," Luna tweeted on Sunday. The following day, Lunda posted another tweet, this time including a photo of Trump and Donalds posing together, with text reading, "The Donalds 2024."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's representatives via email for comment.
Donalds rose to prominence during the efforts by the incoming House Republican majority to elect a House speaker in January. Members of the party's far-right flank opposed the candidacy of Representative Kevin McCarthy, accusing him of being insufficiently loyal to Trump.
My friend @ByronDonalds would make an incredible VP.
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) July 16, 2023
Donalds became one of the alternative names floated by other members of the House GOP, receiving one vote during the first round of voting after being nominated by Chip Roy, and 20 votes during the fifth round after being put forward by Lauren Boebert.
The Florida representative voted for McCarthy in the first two rounds but switched his vote to Jim Jordan in the third. He did not switch back until McCarthy made significant concessions to the House Freedom Caucus.
Past reports have indicated that the Trump 2024 campaign may be looking for a female running mate, with names like Kari Lake, Nikki Haley, Kristi Noem, and even former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard being floated as possibilities.
