I’m going to make a prediction about where Donald Trump is going with his choice of a vice presidential candidate. It’s the obvious prediction to make, knowing Trump as we all do, simplistic, narcissistic, centered solely on self. Before we go there, take a look at some of the comments made in an audio obtained by Axios of Trump’s ruminations this weekend at a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser for major donors. Then my reasoning will make perfect sense to you.
- 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. Mike Lee (R-Utah) — “I love your haircut! … And he’s a good man too.”
- 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. “
There are four others, these were merely the top seven. If you read all of these testimonials, they’re all positive statements and mostly the emphasis is on how well they have served Trump. Occasionally you get a comment about the person in the abstract, about Stefanik being “very smart” or Rep. Michael Waltz knowing a lot about the military. But most of the commentary has to do with how well these people have served Trump, that of course being the prime directive by which his universe runs.
Now you’re wondering about the prediction, so this is it: At this moment, on May 5, 2024, Trump has no more of a clue about who he will pick for VP than you or I do. The fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago was held for the purpose of making him money. There will be many more fundraisers. Trump wants to keep the VP field open as much as possible so that he can get as much money before he closes off any channels of income.
Let’s face it, whomever he picks is going to be in favor with somebody and not in favor with others. Elise Stefanik sees a “unified” GOP. Let’s find out what she’s smoking and drinking and lay in a stock of it, shall we? Maybe we’ll have visions, too.
Mike Johnson there but no Marge Greene. pic.twitter.com/mAcbN4VTwo
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 5, 2024
If Stefanik is right and what’s left of the Republican party is now MAGA, then there is no more Republican party. There is only MAGA. That is not a state of affairs to be celebrated. Wasn’t there somebody named Nikki Haley and wasn’t she pulling a lot of votes that Trump needed to convert to his column in order to win? Or did I just dream that?
Trump did not announce Mike Pence until the very last minute in 2016. Look for 2024 to be the same. He has every reason in the world to tease the announcement out, not the least of which is the fact that the longer he delays the more each candidate juices him publicly on the airwaves, and he loves nothing more.
Frankly, it might come down to a coin toss the night before the convention starts. Again, and always, there are a lot of variables to consider. The major variable may be, in all seriousness, who will be at the top of the GOP ticket if for some reason Trump can’t be? And so far, the only person who the primaries indicated might have a shot, Haley, is not a part of this picture at all.
This is going to get a lot stranger before it all settles out, on that you may depend. For right now the only absolute is that Trump is going to try to fundraise as much as possible before he commits to anybody. Once he commits, he’s stuck. He wants to make sure he’s stuck with somebody who can produce results he needs, like money and voters.
It’s speculated that Marco Rubio or Tim Scott may have the inside track because they can supposedly deliver minority voters. Kristi Noem has already washed out. I’m sure she’s thrilled to know Trump says she’s “somebody I love.” I hope Kristi can cash that goodwill at the bank and use it to buy groceries, because she’s going to be hamstrung for work soon.
Stefanik may be bright eyed and bushy tailed but unless she can convince Trump that she has some handle on a voting bloc that he doesn’t, and she can lead that bloc to him, she’s dreaming.
Another factor to consider is who manages to disgrace him or herself the least between now and the convention. Tim Scott is looking pretty bad right now. Maybe it will come down to Trump and Liddle Marco and oh, what those campaign ads are going to look like. Aye caramba.
It won’t be Tim Scott because he’s black and Dumbty, like his maga cultists, is a racist.
He’s also a misogynist, and while that characteristic might make it seem unlikely he’d pick a woman, his misogyny on top of his malignant narcissism would certainly be a factor in his choosing someone who he thinks would be submissive to him, and that might well prove to be a woman. I want it to be Marsha Blackburn because that would hand the Tennessee Senate seat to Gloria Johnson.
As for the absence of Nicki Haley’s name and Dumbty’s need to convert her votes to his column, you’re not dreaming, Ursula, he is! Reality has never been his forté. This is one of the few positives about Dumbty and his cultists.
Incidentally, while Dumbty did leave his 2016 VP announcement to the last minute, Mike Pence was NOT his choice. He was absolutely furious when he found out that Manafort had registered Pence for the VP spot and that it was too late for him to change it. That’s the real reason Manafort was fired as his campaign manager.
I think the real driving force for Pence was Bannon and Conway. They’d been on Cruz’s team and once he was out Rebekkah Mercer (and her dad) wanted Pence because they wanted a “Christian” warrior. Their money was crucial in and of itself but it unlocked other bank accounts. Trump had wanted, even intended it to be Christie but wonder boy Jared put the kibosh on THAT (and later Christie running the transition and junking what was actually a well-planned one) so Trump was in a bind. Manafort might have taken care of the mechanics of naming Pence but it wasn’t I think his doing that Pence got picked.
I agree – Manafort was told to register Pence and we know Manafort’s allegiances are Russian so we know the geographic direction from which the order came. There was talk at one time that Mike’s brother (Greg, perhaps?) had business ties with Russia but I don’t recall the details.
Kristi’s groceries probably are lower these days as they don’t include puppy food
In addition to food, neither do her bills include vet fees for puppies, goats or horses. She’s been a busy executioner.
It can’t be Rubio as they are from the same state.