LONDONDERRY, New Hampshire — Rep. Elise Stefanik made her debut Saturday as a campaign surrogate for Donald Trump in 2024, saying she would be “honored” to be his Vice President — while dismissing her rival Nikki Haley as a “non-starter” to choose.
“He will make the right decision. I believe he made the right decision for her. So he’s going to look for qualities that he thinks are important,” Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) told reporters at the Poor Boy’s Diner in Londonderry, amid speculation that he was on the short list to be his Vice Presidential pick. “I am proud to serve in the Trump administration in any capacity.”
Haley — who is within seven percentage points of Trump in at least one poll — has also emerged as a possible VP candidate, but is the wrong choice because she “viciously attacks Trump every day,” Stefanik said.
“It’s not the beginning. It is not a start for voters,” he said.
Trump said he had chosen who would be on his ticket but did not make that decision public.
Aristide Economopoulos Donald Trump claims that he has chosen who will be on his ticket but has not made that information public. Aristide Economopoulos
Stefanik told The Post she will serve in his administration “in whatever capacity,” adding she will “do everything we can to win this election this November.”
Stefanik is fiercely loyal to Trump and was the first member of Congress to endorse him for his re-election campaign – before he announced it himself – and has been one of his staunchest supporters through his legal battles.
He has also seen some support from the MAGA base. At Trump Headquarters in Concord, volunteers led chants of “VP” following his remarks in the morning.
Elise Stefanik has been one of Trump’s fiercest defenders throughout the 2024 election cycle. Volunteer Aristide Economopoulos started a “VP” chant for Stefanik. Reuters
Stefanik first appeared on stage Friday afternoon to meet her in Concord, before swinging by a diner to speak to voters Saturday morning and then rallying volunteers at Trump HQ.
Throughout his swing, Stefanik leaned on his New York roots, arguing that New Hampshire shares many of the same issues as his home state.
“We have a lot in common with New Hampshire, so I feel at home in the cold, in the snow. I’ve campaigned like this before,” he said in Londonderry, adding he wanted to “give a win in New Hampshire” and “really unify House Republicans.”
Elise Stefanik is the first congresswoman to support Donald Trump’s re-election. Aristide Economopoulos Stefanik is relying on his roots in upstate New York to connect with New Hampshire voters. AP
“My district really tells the story of today’s Republican Party and the America First movement under President Trump. This is a district that House Republicans, at the House level, are struggling to win,” he said. “It’s one of the most swinging districts in our direction, so I saw firsthand – how he grew the Republican Party.”
He also highlighted record-breaking immigration on the northern border as an issue that unites his home district with the Granite State and called on all other GOP candidates to drop out of the race so the party can unite behind Trump.
Trump won the Iowa caucuses on January 15, defeating Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by a 30-point margin. In New Hampshire on January 23, Trump hoped to increase his numbers, telling voters at his Friday night rally that “margins matter.”
Stefanik said their “momentum is definitely in favor” of Trump, boosted by a “very significant endorsement” from former 2024 presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Vivek Ramaswamy.
For those who don’t support Trump, “voters are paying very close attention,” he warned.
At Trump Headquarters in Concord on Saturday, Stefanik stressed to volunteers that New Hampshire needs to build on the “momentum” he gained in Iowa, again emphasizing his New York background as a way to connect with voters on the northern border.
“Good-hearted people, pro-Americans, Americans First, — this is Trump country. Just like my district. I know we have a couple of New Yorkers here,” he said. “We’re a border county in my district, and this is also a border state.”
Trump plans to hold rallies throughout the weekend before Tuesday’s primary, hitting cities across the state.
As for her future plans with the former president, Stefanik would not divulge further details, but said she and Trump “talk on a regular basis.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
