With President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump having secured enough delegates to win their respective nominations and third-party challengers like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., holding strong, the speculation now shifts to who will be named vice presidential candidates.
There have been a number of names floating around for Trump and Kennedy in particular, and the speculation hit a fever pitch this week after comments from both campaigns.
On Thursday’s show, Megyn was joined by the hosts of Ruthless – Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook – to discuss where the VP sweepstakes stand.
Aaron Rodgers for VP?
Kennedy’s independent run for president is shaping up to be a consequential one. Earlier this week, he told The New York Times that he has narrowed down his shortlist his running mate to include former professional wrestler-turned-Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura and New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The Times report also noted that Kennedy had reached out to former Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), and 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang. All apparently turned him down, but sources told the outlet that Ventura and Rodgers “welcomed” RFK’s advances.
During an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, Kennedy said he likes Rodgers because he is “battle tested” and “stood up” for what he believed in even when being “battered by the press.”
Ashbrook called the Rodgers rumors “attention getting,” but admitted it would make for a very interesting fall. “If he does pick Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Rodgers doesn’t get hurt this football season, every Sunday we will be reminded on national television via the most expensive advertising platform on the planet, the NFL… that Aaron Rodgers is running for vice president with RFK, Jr.,” he said.
According to his campaign, Kennedy will announce his VP pick on March 26 in Oakland, California, but the media has already started digging into the contenders. Rodgers, who famously chose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine, was the subject of a CNN story that claimed he “shared false Sandy Hook conspiracy theories in private conversations” dating back to 2013.
Rodgers addressed the accusations on X on Thursday. “As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place,” he tweeted. “Again, I hope that we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life. My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the families affected along with the entire Sandy Hook community.” He has not commented on the VP rumors.
Trump’s Choice
On the GOP side, Trump has not announced his choice for vice president. During an interview on Newsmax on Wednesday, the presumptive GOP nominee was asked by Greg Kelly if he is “any closer” to choosing a running mate. Kelly also inquired if Trump had “ruled anybody out.”
Trump suggested both were true. “Yeah, I probably have a couple of people that you may know very well. Some people that I didn’t think behaved properly,” he said. “Yeah, I think I’ve ruled some people out, but I’ve ruled a lot of people in. We have a lot of great people in the Republican Party, and they’ll do a terrific job, I think, but certainly I have people that I wouldn’t want as a vice president.”
Megyn found the choice of words telling. “‘They didn’t behave appropriately’ – if it was somebody who attacked him… I think he would have been stronger in his condemnation and he might have even named them,” she said. “My theory is it could be a reference to a rising star in the Republican Party who had such heat and buzz around them that they were asked to deliver the response to the State of the Union – and then bombed.”
Perhaps, Megyn speculated, the post-State of the Union performance of Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) is the behavior Trump deemed inappropriate for a running mate. “He praised her at a rally over the weekend like a classy guy,” she said. “But there is zero chance he didn’t see what the rest of us saw.”
The Ruthless guys weren’t so sure that Britt was ever on the shortlist to begin with, but there is controversy swirling around another oft-mentioned name in GOP presidential politics.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is now facing a lawsuit over an eyebrow-raising video she posted on social media about dental work. Earlier this week, Noem shared a five-minute clip about her experience at the Houston-area Smile Texas “fixing” her teeth that were damaged in a biking accident years before.
On Wednesday, consumer advocacy group Travelers United filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia alleging the governor “advertised a product or service without disclosing that she has a financial relationship with that company.”
While Megyn noted that she likes Noem and the before and after pictures prove the dentist did “a good job,” she found the video “a little weird for someone reportedly trying to get on the shortlist.”
Comfortably Smug, meanwhile, quipped that she was “being unfairly attacked” and floated a theory. “She is trying to stimulate trade between South Dakota and Texas in the form of a better deal,” he joked. “There is a lot of economic activity that could happen between South Dakota and Texas, and she’s trying to raise awareness of this.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Ruthless by tuning in to episode 746 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.