Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that he hasn’t “given any thought” to anything past the upcoming 2020 presidential election when asked if he is mulling his own run in 2024.
“I haven’t given any thought to anything beyond the election in 2020 because I think this election is so important to the life of the nation. I think this could well be one of the most important elections in the long and storied history of the United States, because we’re really deciding what path we will take,” Pence said in an interview with The Daily Caller.
“By winning in 2020, we have an opportunity to continue to take our nation on the path that President Trump set us on in 2016, so all of my energies, all of my focus is dedicated to that prospect, and we’ll let the future take care of itself,” he added.
Pence singled out the coronavirus pandemic and its fallout as the most pressing issue for him and the Trump administration, after which fiscal responsibility will be front and center.
“President Trump has made it clear: We believe providing additional direct support to families, providing additional support and extension of the kind of programs that have literally saved more than 50 million jobs […] is absolutely essential to bring our economy all the way back,” Pence continued. “That being said, once we find our way through this global pandemic in the second term of this president’s administration, we’re gonna roll our sleeves up. And, and look to, you know, restore fiscal responsibility to the federal budget.”
Pence is just one of the potential candidates to whom Republicans are looking to carry the party’s standard after President Donald Trump’s tenure. As Politico reported, other potential candidates include Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Another candidate that has been floated for 2024 is Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
As The Daily Wire reported:
Politico reports that “there’s an emerging consensus in the GOP that the 51-year-old Carlson would be formidable if he were to run” in the 2024 election.
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“What he’s been saying speaks for a lot of people, and it’s basically not expressed or serviced by most Republican politicians,” Rich Lowry, editor of National Review, told Politico. “There’s a lot to be said for being fearless, and he is, while Republican politicians, as a breed, are not.”
Sam Nunberg, a former Trump aide who also knows Carlson, told the news agency that while he doesn’t believe Carlson will run for president, as he’s “so disgusted with politicians,” the Fox News host would become the 2024 Republican nominee if he were to run during a Joe Biden presidency.
“He’s a talented communicator with a massive platform. I think if he runs he’d be formidable,” said Republican strategist Luke Thompson of a potential Carlson run.
Related: Fox News Host Tucker Carlson Is Drawing 2024 Speculation