Voters could be looking at a Donald Trump-Sarah Palin ticket come November, according to a list of Trump's possible vice presidential picks that was accidentally released over the weekend.
No, this not a joke. Or a drill.
Here's what we know:
Who is Trump allegedly looking at to fill the VP slot?
Five people are reportedly on Trump's radar for a possible V.P. nod, including Palin. Except the former Alaska governor, all of them ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.
The names leaked are: Palin, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Do we know who leaked the names?
Former GOP presidential hopeful and current Trump supporter Ben Carson accidentally spilled the beans. Carson is a member of Trump's vice presidential search committee.
The Washington Post quoted the neurosurgeon-turned-politico in an article Sunday that was appropriately headlined "Is Ben Carson the worst or the best surrogate of all time? Yes."
According to the Post, the slip came after a reporter mentioned a new poll that found Carson to be the most liked of potential running mates. He asked who else was on the list. When the reporter responded with Kasich, Rubio, Cruz, Christie and Palin, Carson said, “Those are all people on our list.”
He later called the Post to say the five people named weren't necessarily on Trump's shortlist.
“When it comes to who could be the vice president and you name a list of people ... I'm going to say yes to everybody,” he said. “Everybody could potentially be considered, (that) doesn't mean they are on the shortlist.”
How has Trump responded?
Predictably, Trump had denied the accuracy of the report. He said Rubio "and most others mentioned" were not being seriously considered.
Have any of the potential VP nominees responded?
The short answer is no. However, some of the people named have made their positions on taking second seat clear.
"I'm going to be nobody's vice president, OK?" Kasich said during a campaign stop in Wisconsin in April, according to the Washington Examiner. "I will not be anybody's vice president. Just so you know."
Christie stopped short of ruling out a vice presidential run when confronted by reporters in March.
"All I can tell you is that my intention is that I'm going to serve the rest of my team as governor until Jan. 16, 2018, and then return to the private sector," Christie said, according to NJ.com.
Palin addressed the possibility of a V.P. nod just last week.
"I think if someone wanted to choose me, they already know who I am, what I stand for. They wouldn't be in for any surprises," she said in an interview on CNN's State of the Union.
She did, however, acknowledge that her candidacy could be controversial.
“I want to help and not hurt, and I am such a realist that I realize there are a whole lot of people out there who would say, 'Anybody but Palin,'” she said. “I wouldn't want to be a burden on the ticket, and I realize in many, many eyes, I would be that burden.”
Really? Sarah Palin?
Yes. If you feel like you're having deja vu, you're not alone. People took to social media and overwhelming derided the news. Most were focused on the possibility of a Palin vice presidency.
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