WASHINGTON : Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is considering a retired Army general to be his running mate, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
Former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is on Trum’s shortlist for vice presidential candidates, the report said. Flynn retired as the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in 2014.It is Trump himself, and not his advisors, behind the push for Flynn, the report said. Trump feels the current national unrest calls for a “tough and steady” figure, the Post said.
Flynn joins a shortlist that reportedly includes former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Trump told Fox News this week that he has a list of 10 names that he is considering.
Two of those candidates are generals, he said at the time, without offering any names. Trump also said that he is more inclined to select a former or current lawmaker to help him with his legislative agenda.
In an interview with the New York Post, Flynn said that he would be willing to consider an offer to be on the Republican ticket.
“All I would say is that I have been honoured to serve my country for the past three decades and look forward to serving in other ways now that I am retired from the U.S. Army,” he said. “I’ve been a soldier too long to refuse to entertain any request from a potential commander in chief.”
Flynn, who is advising Trump on foreign policy, has been an outspoken critic of the Obama administration since he was reportedly forced out of the DIA in 2014.
