6 names on Donald Trump's VP shortlist
Byron Donalds
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., is the only current member of the U.S. House of Representatives mentioned by Ingraham during her conversation with Trump. Donalds, 45, was elected to represent Florida's 19th Congressional District in 2020 and was reelected to a second term by voters in his district, which includes the Gulf Coast cities of Fort Myers and Naples.
Donalds unsuccessfully sought the speakership of the House of Representatives in the 118th U.S. Congress, which has been defined in part by the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy late last year. Following McCarthy's removal in October, Donalds became a potential candidate. Donalds was eliminated on the third ballot, and the title of House speaker went to Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La.
At the beginning of the 118th Congress, where it took several ballots for McCarthy to secure the necessary votes to become speaker, several members of Congress supported Donalds as their pick to lead the lower chamber. Throughout the voting process, up to 20 members of the House supported Donalds for Speaker.
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Donalds' nomination marked the first time in U.S. history that two African Americans were nominated for the position of speaker. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, was the consistent choice of Democrats for speaker throughout the initial votes at the beginning of Congress and the October votes that took place after McCarthy's removal.
Like Scott, Donalds would have the possibility of becoming the first African American man to serve as vice president if selected by Trump as his running mate.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
