Top Trump adviser reveals Vivek Ramaswamy’s chances at being veep pick

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Some Donald Trump supporters said Sunday they would support his 2024 presidential rival Vivek Ramaswamy as his veep pick, but Trump’s top adviser all but nixed the notion.

Trump aide Jason Miller told The Post that voters could “probably” rule out Ramaswamy as the ex-president’s running mate, given that Trump unleashed his biggest attack on him the previous night.

The former president accused Ramaswamy of being “sly,” having “deceitful campaign tricks” and not being MAGA during a blistering attack Saturday on Truth Social.

“Pretty safe to say it won’t be Vivek,” Miller said.

Asked about Trump’s rant against Ramaswamy on Saturday, Ramaswamy’s campaign pointed The Post to their candidate’s later statement on X saying he would not “criticize [Trump] in response to this late attack.”

The biotech mogul has previously said he is not a “plan B person,” while Trump said in August that Ramaswamy could be a “very good” vice president.

Miller, asked about the possibility of another GOP presidential contender, Nikki Haley, being Trump’s veep choice, said he would let Trump speak about his decision.

Haley has refused to officially decline a possible VP slot.

Trump, the GOP race’s clear front-runner, said Wednesday that he has already chosen his No. 2 but added that he has decided not to announce it yet.

Rumors have swirled that he is considering choosing Haley, who is a distant second to him — and who he has not publicly ruled out as a possibility. 

Among Iowa voters attending Trump’s event in Indianola on Sunday, the day before the state’s GOP caucuses to pick a candidate, many said they would “trust” whoever he put on the ticket. 

“I’ll pray about it, and I’ll trust his judgment,” said a woman named Linda, who declined to provide her last name.

Dan Heffernan, 64, of Altoona, said, “I have no idea what he’s thinking because he always surprises me.”

Heffernan’s wife, Cheryl, 63, said she thinks “he’ll do really good.”

Others mentioned some Republican possible veep candidates they would be excited about, including Ramaswamy, media personality Tucker Carlson, 2016 presidential candidate Ben Carson, the Daily Wire’s Candace Owens, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

Ramaswamy had a big draw out of the dozens of voters The Post spoke to, given his proximity to Trump’s policies and him being only 38 years old. 

“He’s young, he’s vibrant,” Paula Smith, 54, of Waukee said of Ramaswamy. “I don’t think there’s any other good choices.”

Some Iowa voters said they would like to see a political outsider, a woman or a minority as Trump’s vice-presidential pick.

“I would like to see Kristi Noem,” said Denise Nelson, 71, of Norwalk. “She is a very stable lady, very stable governor.”

Jesse Stumbaugh, 44, of Des Moines was iffy about who he wants to be Trump’s running mate — but said he is adamant that the pick always be loyal, noting that former Vice President Mike Pence wasn’t loyal to Trump in the end.

“I think Trump is loyal to the country and his constituents. So being loyal to Trump is default being loyal to our Constitution,” he said.

Brad Bousted, a Trump caucus volunteer, said he hopes that the VP is not a governor.

“If he scoops up all the good governors and sends them to Washington, DC, then that will leave the states a little bit unarmed to defend themselves from the federal government,” Bousted said, noting Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds could be a good pick but that she should stay as governor.

Another Iowa voter said he would be excited about Haley as VP, although he doesn’t like to admit it.

“I don’t even like saying it, but Nikki Haley. She’s got a lot of votes, so if they can get that in there, I think they could possibly get a lot more votes,” said the Trump supporter, who declined to be named.

Other voters were less keen about Haley, who has drawn backlash from some Trump supporters, including his son, Donald Trump Jr.

Jill Rowell, 60, pretended to throw up when asked about the prospect of Haley on the ticket.

“I would like to see Kari Lake as his VP,” she said, referring to the Senate candidate in Arizona.

Another woman from Des Moines, Gail Kirst, 73, told The Post she would support GOP presidential hopeful and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as Trump’s veep pick — but that the prospect seems unlikely.

“I would like to see DeSantis, but I think there’s something going on between them,” she said of the pair of political foes.

She argued that Ramaswamy would be a good selection as well.

Additional reporting by Ryan King