Salt Lake City

blue

Get smarter, faster on what matters in Salt Lake City with Kim Bojórquez and Erin Alberty.

Axios Salt Lake City

Standard

Get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in Salt Lake City

Axios Salt Lake City Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Axios Salt Lake City Partners

Salt Lake City Alerts

Alert

Salt Lake City Members

Membership

Former President Trump praised Sen. Mike Lee for his haircut in an audio recording Axios obtained of Trump reflecting on prospective running mates.

The big picture: The former president's most prominent surrogates went to his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday to audition for vice president.

Trump provided some real-time reviews of the prospects at a private luncheon where his remarks were recorded.

What he's saying: "I love your haircut! … And he's a good man too."

Context: Lee was one of several lawmakers who attended the Florida fundraiser this weekend.

Lee hasn't gotten a lot of buzz as a potential running mate, but he's a longtime ally of Trump who joined efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

He cropped his hair in September, around the same time he was threatening to defund the military over abortion policy and calling down God's wrath upon flood-trapped Burning Man revelers.

Zoom out: Here's what Trump had to say about the other potential candidates.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — "His name is coming up a lot for vice president!"

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) — "As a candidate he did a good job, but as a surrogate he's unbelievable."

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) — "He wasn't a supporter of mine at the very beginning... He was saying things like 'the guy's a total disaster'…any ways I got to know him a little bit... As a non politician, he's become one of the great senators."

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) — "[When she ran in 2018] she was like the energizer bunny. She would go from stop to stop to stop."

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — "I didn't know this: He was a supporter of my two campaigns. He's a very rich man."

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — "Somebody that I love. She's been with me, a supporter of mine and I've been a supporter of hers for a long time. "

Trump praises Mike Lee's haircut in comments on vice presidential prospects

The Utah senator hasn't gotten a lot of buzz for VP, but his hair has.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, speaks during a January news conference in the U.S. Capitol. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Mike Lee (U.S. politician)

Former President Trump praised Sen. Mike Lee for his haircut in an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="audio recording Axios obtained" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/05/trump-vice-president-audio-mar-a-lago" data-vars-content-id="239b4cca-4efa-4b5e-b797-d199fac91912" data-vars-headline="Trump praises Mike Lee&#x27;s haircut in comments on vice presidential prospects" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/05/trump-vice-president-audio-mar-a-lago" target="_self">audio recording Axios obtained</a> of Trump reflecting on prospective running mates.The big picture: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The former president&#x27;s most prominent surrogates" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/03/09/trump-2024-vp-list-who-shortlist" data-vars-content-id="239b4cca-4efa-4b5e-b797-d199fac91912" data-vars-headline="Trump praises Mike Lee&#x27;s haircut in comments on vice presidential prospects" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/03/09/trump-2024-vp-list-who-shortlist" target="_self">The former president&#x27;s most prominent surrogates</a> went to his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="audition for vice president" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/04/trump-vp-contenders-showtime-fundraiser-florida" data-vars-content-id="239b4cca-4efa-4b5e-b797-d199fac91912" data-vars-headline="Trump praises Mike Lee&#x27;s haircut in comments on vice presidential prospects" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/04/trump-vp-contenders-showtime-fundraiser-florida" target="_self">audition for vice president</a>.

News

Politics

Trump's team steps up push for Dems to back his nominees

National

Trump's election win boosts anti-DEI investing

Scoop: Heritage Action targets nine GOP senators on Trump nominees

Veterans group's 2016 letter defending Hegseth surfaces amid fight to save his nomination

Trump picks Dan Driscoll for Army secretary

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

transportation

business

c-suite

retail-news

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

charlotte

salt-lake-city

denver

fort-lauderdale

boulder

kansas-city

austin

chicago

dallas

detroit

washington-dc

atlanta

indianapolis

nashville

nw-arkansas

columbus

hollywood

richmond

san-francisco

boston

des-moines

houston

phoenix

miami

philadelphia

seattle

new-orleans

colorado-springs

huntsville

raleigh

san-antonio

twin-cities

pittsburgh

arapahoe

douglas

san-diego

tampa-bay

portland

cleveland

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

Sophia Cai

Featured stories

Trump's team steps up push for Dems to back his nominees

Trump's election win boosts anti-DEI investing

Scoop: Heritage Action targets nine GOP senators on Trump nominees

Veterans group's 2016 letter defending Hegseth surfaces amid fight to save his nomination

Trump picks Dan Driscoll for Army secretary