Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, reportedly on Donald Trump's shortlist for vice president, said Saturday that he would be interested in the job if he had strong authority rather than being a ceremonial figurehead.
"I have a very simple test question: If it's about funerals, I'm not interested," Gingrich said in an appearance at the Aspen Ideas Festival. "At least Trump has said over and over, he needs a vice president who understands Washington because he knows he doesn't."
Gingrich, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2012, said he had not had any conversations with Trump about his views on the role. But he noted that a president has wide discretion in determining the breadth of a vice president's duties.
In the wide-ranging interview, Gingrich compared the presumptive GOP nominee with a number of historical figures, notably a combination of former presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson, and showman P.T. Barnum.
