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Who Should Be Trump's VP?

by Elizabeth King

First for some news you definitely weren't expecting: Despite getting dropped by Univision, NBC, and Macy's this week, it seems Donald Trump is actually doing well in the polls. In fact, despite his disparaging remarks against Mexican immigrants last week, Trump recently placed second behind Jeb Bush in a New Hampshire poll. (Second!) The first question that this brought to my mind: Who in the world would seriously vote for him? And then there was this: Now that he's apparently a viable contender, who will Trump choose as his Vice President? (You know, in this fantasy world where the host of The Apprentice could one day become the leader of the free world.) As the race begins to heat up, many of Trump's fellow Republicans have come forward to comment on Trump's recent remarks about Mexican immigrants — and have left me wondering which ones might be vying for a spot beside him on the ticket.

If you're just catching up, much of the buzz around Trump's presidential bid has to do with his announcement speech June 16, in which he said Mexican immigrants are "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists." (Exactly the kind of sweeping racist comments you'd expect for a future Prez!) And while that wasn't the only shocking thing Trump said in his announcement, it's definitely the one that's received the most attention, for obvious reasons. While some of his fellow Republicans have hurled harsh criticism at the Donald following his remarks, others have both laughed off Trump's comments and actually lent their support.

So which ones (if any) might be angling to be his VP one day? Let's take a quick look at what other GOP-ers are saying about him...

1. Ted Cruz

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Yep, Ted Cruz is apparently a big fan of The Donald, and showed his support for the would-be president just this week. After Trump was called out for those racist comments about Mexican immigrants and was dropped by Univision, NBC, and Macy's, Cruz stepped in and defended Trump, calling him "terrific." (Hmmm... does it sound like somebody's sucking up, or is it just me?)

2. Rick Perry

Theo Stroomer/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Rick Perry also wasn't deterred by some of Trump's more cringe-worthy and straight-up racist comments last week. In fact, he was pretty amused by them. On Wednesday, Perry shrugged off criticism over Trump's comments about Mexico, and instead simply called it "good TV." But that's not to say he supports him — according to Mediaite, the former governor of Texas was quick to say we should all "let [Trump] run on that," adding that instead, "I will run on actual experience."

3. George Pataki

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Despite being a fellow New Yorker and fellow Republican, Governor George Pataki was not cool with Trump's disparaging remarks made last week. In fact, Pataki dismissed Trump's comments as "disrespectful," and told Business Insider that nobody should ever "attack the character of those who are trying to build a better future." (So yeah, I'm going to go ahead and rule out a Trump-Pataki ticket for 2016.)

4. Mike Huckabee

Theo Stroomer/Getty Images News/Getty Images

One guy Trump does have in his corner? Mike Huckabee. And if I'm being honest here, his praise of Donald Trump is hinting at a straight-up brofest. When Trump announced that he was running for president earlier this month, Huckabee stated that Trump "has the courage to put his name on the ballot and take the incoming attacks." He also added, "I personally like him." Geez, just kiss him already.

So there you have it, America. Whether you love him, hate him, or just find his hair simultaneously hilarious and terrifying, we all have an opinion about Donald Trump. (And if that recent Republican nominee poll is to believed, it looks like it's not all bad!) While I am not exactly confident that Trump has enough momentum to ultimately overtake Bush as the front-runner for the Republican ticket, I really can't help but wonder about what on Earth a Trump-Huckabee (Trumpabee?) White House would look like... But hey, maybe we should just go straight to the source himself: On June 17, while speaking with ABC News, Trump said, "I think Oprah would be great [as Vice President]. I'd love to have Oprah." He also thinks it'd be a slam dunk. "I think we'd win easily, actually," The Donald added. (Something tells me that Oprah, who apparently has not responded to ABC News' calls, might not exactly join a Republican ticket. Just a hunch...)

No matter who's in that spot, though, one thing's for sure: it's definitely going to be an interesting race come 2016.

Images: Getty Images (4)