By Ewan Palmer
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Donald Trump said he would not pick his eldest daughter Ivanka as his running mate should he announce his intention to run for president again.
The former president told India's NDTV that he would "make a decision in the very near future" on whether he will plan to run for office again, adding that "a lot of people are going to be very happy" with the announcement.
When asked who would be his potential vice president on his 2024 ticket, Trump dismissed the idea that he would pick Ivanka, a former senior White House adviser: "No, I wouldn't. Not my daughter."
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"My daughter? Never thought of that one," Trump said. "I've never even heard but that's an interesting idea. That one I have not heard of, but she's a very capable person that I can tell you. But no, I have not heard that one."
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According to a book by Rick Gates, the former president's deputy campaign manager, Trump had mulled the idea of having Ivanka as his running mate for the 2016 election.
"She's bright, she's smart, she's beautiful, and the people would love her!" Trump said, according to a passage in Gates' book, Wicked Game: An Insider's Story on How Trump Won, Mueller Failed, and America Lost.
It was reportedly Ivanka herself, who at that time had no political experience, who told her father that her being his potential vice president would be a bad idea. Trump later denied the claims as "wrong and totally ridiculous."
The former president began teasing that he plans to run in 2024 immediately since he left office in January 2021.
Elsewhere in the interview with NDTV, Trump said "everyone wants me to run, I'm leading in the polls" while discussing 2024 and dismissing a potential challenge from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis has long been thought to be the favorite to clinch the GOP nomination should Trump decide not to run, but is often way behind in the polls when the former president is presented as an option.
"I was the one that was instrumental in winning an election," Trump said, referring to DeSantis' gubernatorial election in 2018. "I think he's a good person. But if you go by the polls, I'm leading by a lot."
Trump also said he would beat President Joe Biden "easily" in 2024 should the pair face off against each other again while continuing to push the false claim he won the 2020 election.
"I think I beat him last time," Trump said. "If you look at the numbers, you look at what happened. I beat him by a lot."
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