Kari Lake would like to be Trump’s vice presidenl pick, report says: The failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate, who has spent much of the year unsuccessfully challenging her 2022 election loss, has been also spending a lot of time at Mar-a-Lago, in a reported effort to be considered for the vice presidency
Donald Trump: Will Be Pick Kari Lake?
Kari Lake, when she was running for governor of Arizona in 2022, was often mentioned as a potential 2024 vice presidential pick for Donald Trump.
But that speculation seemed to assume that such anointing would come after a victory in her race for governor.
Lake, however, lost the race.
And in the months since, she has claimed, much like Trump did in 2020, that she was the rightful winner and the election was stolen from her. Lake has now lost all of her election challenges, amid rumors that she might run for the Senate, in Arizona, in 2024, in what could be a three-way race with independent Sen. Krysten Sinema and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).
But there continues to be speculation that Lake could be Trump’s choice for vice president next year. Axios reported back in March that Lake was one of four women Trump was considering for the vice presidency, with the others including Arkansas Gov. and former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former United Nations Ambassador and current presidential candidate Nikki Haley, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
A report last year stated that Lake was “working the deal” to become Trump’s running mate, and a new report indicates that those efforts have continued.
According to People magazine, Lake has been spending so much time at Mar-a-Lago that she “practically lives” in a suite there, and she is spotted there more often than First Lady Melania Trump.
“Kari Lake is there all the time,” a source at the club told People.
Lake’s spokesperson pushed back on the idea, calling it “ridiculous” in the statement to People.
“Kari Lake often speaks at events all over the country in support of America First candidates and organizations; and when she does have the honor of being invited to speak at the beautiful Mar-a-Lago, she overnights at Hilton properties in Palm Beach with her loving husband of 25 years,” the statement added.
Lake spoke at Mar-a-Lago last December, at an event for the LGBTQ Republican group the Log Cabin Republicans. Lake drew headlines for some of the comments in the speech, including stating that “80, 90, 100% of the men in media are gay,” and that she “had to come out as well” when she revealed that she was conservative.
“Whoever thought it was a good idea to invite 500 gay people into a lavish mansion, 2 pools, and a lot of booze?” she said at the Mar-a-Lago event “I think we’re going to need the Secret Service tonight.… I know there’s people in this room who would love to be tackled and frisked by the Secret Service.”
If Trump is the Republican nominee, a decision about a vice presidential pick is likely a year or more away. Trump named his 2016 running mate, Mike Pence, on the eve of that year’s Republican National Convention. The 2024 GOP convention is set to come to Milwaukee July 15–18, 2024.
Lake would likely represent a risky pick for vice president. She has never held elected office, and in her most high-profile test, she lost what was considered a winnable race for governor of Arizona. She also went all-in on election denial and conspiracy theories, possibly even more so than Trump himself. She likely wouldn’t do anything to draw members of the party from outside of the core MAGA coalition or help Trump get back the voters he lost in the 2020 race.
But on the other hand, she is a full-on Trump loyalist, and if that is the top criteria for the ex-president, she might have a chance.
Expertise and Experience: Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
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