Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York is reportedly on the short list of potential contenders to be Trump's running mate.
Trump himself reportedly referred to Stefanik as a “killer” during a recent dinner at Mar-a-Lago.
Stefanik was already a rising star in the Republican Party, but her defiant performance during congressional hearings into anti-Semitism on elite college campuses in December made her a national figure overnight.
NBC News reports:
During a candlelit dinner with Mar-a-Lago members in late December, former President Donald Trump walked around the table as the conversation turned to one of the biggest decisions he would have to make if he became the Republican nominee: Who should he choose? To be his deputy?
That's when Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-New York, showed up, according to someone at the dinner table. Attendees surrounding Trump praised her viral moment a few weeks ago, when she questioned three university presidents at a congressional hearing about anti-Semitism on campus.
When considering Stefanik as a potential vice presidential choice, Trump nodded approvingly.
“She’s a killer,” Trump said, according to the person who attended the event.
Since then, Trump and a growing group of allies have begun to look more closely at Stefanik as a running mate, according to eight people familiar with the matter, including people in Trump's orbit, Stefanik's fundraisers and former Trump administration officials.
At the time, the 39-year-old congresswoman was on the crest of a wave of national publicity after confronting top leaders at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT. Their answers to the question: Does the call to exterminate the Jews contradict… [your college’s] Bullying and harassment rules? It eventually led to the resignation of two of them and brought a storm of criticism to the schools…
“Stefanik is at the top,” said Steve Bannon, who was Trump's chief strategist in the White House and the architect of his 2016 campaign strategy.
Stefanik has been a strong alternative to Trump.
Support for President Donald Trump among Republican primary voters nationally has reached its highest levels yet.
Primary school is over.
Let's unite behind Trump and defeat Joe Biden! #SaveAmerica https://t.co/mtfIpejYsI
– Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) January 18, 2024
She would certainly be a more attractive candidate to the Conservatives than Nikki Haley.
