Donald Trump will almost certainly become the Republican presidential nominee running against Hillary Clinton for the U.S. Presidency.
Trump will need to carefully select a VP running mate to help widen his appeal. There has been endless speculation on who Trump might select.
We used Media Analyzer and Social Metrics software to extrapolate and rank the frequency with which media and social media has mentioned these names as potential VP candidates for Donald Trump.
#10 – Marco Rubio
Rubio brings youth that could be perceived as a needed counterbalance to Trump’s age (he would be the oldest president elected in U.S. history), plus Rubio’s popularity in Florida would certainly increase Trump’s chance of winning the state which has 29 electoral votes up for grab.
Being Cuban-American, Rubio also has some appeal with ethnic voters which Trump needs.
Rubio is also considered conventionally handsome which could help attract a large percentage of female and gay male voters.
We believe he ranks last on the list due to his reportedly low IQ of 90. This puts him on the lower side of average, intellectually on par with an elementary school graduate (completed at least eighth grade) despite Rubio being a college graduate and an adjunct college professor.
#9 – Bernie Sanders
While seemingly illogical, some polls show 50% or more of Sander’s current supporters could end up voting for Trump over Clinton in the general election. This is attributed largely to a deep disdain for Clinton’s ‘politics as usual’ campaign. If Sanders were the VP choice, he could potentially bring his entire base of supporters to Trump.
Trump and Sander’s political platforms could not be any more polar and it’s unlikely Sanders would accept the offer, but not out of the question as he’s often radically unpredictable.
The net voter gain in this scenario beats net loss as very few of Trump’s current base would vote for Clinton despite such a far-left running mate.
#8 – Katy Perry
The support for Perry – famous for pop music hits like “I Kissed a Girl” and “California Gurls” – mostly comes from MTV-fueled media so the data falls on a narrow spectrum, but the data is still large enough to make our list.
Data suggest Perry’s VP candidacy would help wrangle Millenial voters and the smaller percentage of Generation Z who have reached voting age.
However, MTV reasons she would have wider demographic appeal as well.
MTV News –
“Katy Perry has mass sex appeal with both men and women across all generations that surely would attract a cross section of voters to Trump. Imagine K.P. performing before Trump campaign speeches? Millions would tune in. Trump is not an attractive man. Having some sexy on that stage would help more than people probably want to admit. Sex sells even though people often act offended at seeing beautiful women dancing in skimpy clothing — they secretly love it. “
Perry won the 2015 Guinness World Record for most Twitter followers (79 million), followers she could mobilize to support her run for the Vice Presidency.
Never underestimate the power of social media. Trump himself has employed it masterfully
Forbes writer Dorothy Pomerantz commended Perry on her social media usage, saying: “Perry makes excellent use of Twitter, talking to her fans and sharing funny photos and videos in a way that makes them all feel like Perry is their best buddy.”
Perry’s emotionally-bonded Twitter followers would support her running for Vice President even if they didn’t like Trump or his politics.
She is an outspoken Obama-supporter so it’s doubtful she would join forces with Trump, but these days, nothing is out of the question.
#7 – Ted Cruz
Cruz is a logical choice as his policy platform is nearly identical to Trump’s and he appeals to evangelical Christians which have largely resisted supporting Trump. Cruz would bring them in.
The criticism of Cruz is that he might be too much of a ‘Yes Man’ who would blindly support Trump. It may be a fair criticism as evidence suggests he’s a big Trump fan. Cruz asked Trump for his autograph after the first Republican debate and can still become star-struck when he finds himself in the same room with Trump.
He has admitted that he watched every episode of The Apprentice several times and his senior thesis while at Princeton University was on The Power of Lawsuits in Corporate Negotiation that drew largely on Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal.”
“A good VP needs to support the president, of course,” Allen Townes a professor of Political Science at Georgetown University said. “But the VP needs to also have a mind of his own and be able to challenge a president when he disagrees. It’s vital to healthy governing. Cruz doesn’t strike me a man who thinks for himself.”
#6 – Donald Trump
Obviously, Trump can’t be his own Vice President of The United States, but that hasn’t stopped Trump supporters from wanting him to run the entire show. It’s an idea that is growing fast on social media.
“Trump can do it all,” a prominent Trump campaigner in Iowa said. “To avoid any screw ups, Trump should have no Cabinet members and instead just run the entire show. If Mr. Trump needs some advice, contract it out. Plenty of private consulting firms could provide data to support his decisions and there wouldn’t be appointed people in Trump’s face every day trying to maybe stop Trump’s campaign promises. The less people involved, the better.”
#5 – Jeb Bush
Despite Jeb’s low poll numbers, he would bring the most real world political experience to the campaign. He’s the Republican Establishment’s candidate of choice and it’s conceivable Trump could pick Bush as a running mate in exchange for full support from the Republican party and rightwing media.
But doubtful, as Trump seems to have genuine disdain for the GOP and all media and seems to find more success operating outside their influence.
Lastly, Bush carries a negative stigma because of the Bush name. Many Americans regard the Bush family negatively. That could be a liability passed onto Trump if Jeb became the VP choice.
#4 – Bill O’Reilly
Fox News TV host, Bill O’Reilly, brings a large and loyal conservative fan base who turn to him daily for trusted political insight and ‘no spin’ reporting.
O’Reilly has no political experience but the popular TV personality and best-selling author is viewed as tough, intelligent and a “true American patriot” by many conservatives. He’s a security-hawk and as militaristic as Trump and would likely draw even more support for the destruction of ISIS, Iran and other perceived threats to American freedom. Security has been a major driver in Trump’s campaign success and O’Reilly would add more fuel.
Political opinion says O’Reilly would almost certainly accept.
#3 – Ivanka Trump
The “keep it in the family” VP choice. We almost removed Ivanka from our list as The Postal Revenue and Federal Salary Act of 1967 prohibits the president from appointing his wife or any other close family member to a job in the executive branch.
But Trump supporters love Ivanka and the Trump family.
“Trump might not be able to have Ivanka as Vice President at first,” Christian Elliott from Trump Fans of America said. “But he could later change the stupid law, fire whomever is VP and then bring Ivanka in. The Trump’s are all brilliant people. I think all his children should have prominent roles in Trump’s Cabinet. Make Eric Trump Secretary of the Interior. If he can manage Trump’s many golf courses, he can manage the Bureau of Land Management and Park Service. He’ll turn them into profitable businesses instead of tax sinkholes.”
#2 – Jesse Ventura
The former professional wrestler and Minnesota governor is seen as another tough political outsider who speaks his mind. Trump and Ventura have a similar political style and Ventura would bring genuine political experience to the ticket.
They happen to be close friends, but Ventura strongly disagrees with Trump on the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment to reverse birthright citizenship.
“Donald Trump may be resting much of his campaign strategy on this lofty goal to kick out illegal aliens, but would spending around $500 billion to deport 11 million people be worth it? The thing that bugs me the most, they are going to round up these 11 million people, right? Imagine the racial profiling that will take place on that. What you have here on immigration is exactly the type of position that was happening in 1930s Germany. Are we really behaving like the 1930s Germany right now with policies such as these? Is that really the road we want to travel down?”
Despite policy disagreements, Ventura said he would strongly consider being Trump’s VP:
#1 – Oprah
After Trump’s announcement he was running for the Republican presidential nomination, Trump made another bold declaration.
“I think Oprah would be great running mate. I’d love to have Oprah,” Trump told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “I think we’d win easily, actually.”
Trump mentioned Winfrey as a possible running mate back in 1999 when he considered running.
Winfrey said back then that she wasn’t interested in the job, and it’s likely she’d say the same thing this time around. When Winfrey endorsed President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, it was her first ever political endorsement. She endorsed Mr. Obama in 2012 but declined to actively campaign for him as she had in the previous race.
However, Oprah would bring such immense power to Trump’s run that the probability of them winning would be almost certain.
She would also likely temper some of Trump’s more radical positions and bring a uniting sensibility to the Oval Office that could be highly effective. Furthermore, Winfrey is keyed into nearly all social issues and would be invaluable in setting domestic and international social policy.
“Oprah appeals to everybody no matter your politics. We all love her,” Republican strategist Ryan Gastin said. “Hillary Clinton would stand no chance against the money and magnetism of Trump and Oprah. A far-fetched as it may sound, I think it’s going to be Trump Winfrey in 2016.”
Others often mentioned that did not make the list.
Snoop Dog
Hulk Hogan
Sean Hannity
Butch Otter
Charlie Sheen
Michelle Obama
Dick Cheney
Rex Tillerson (CEO of Exxon Mobile)
Shay St. John (entertainer)
Mark Cuban
Alice Cooper
David Stockman (former congressman)