"War Room" host Steve Bannon has floated a conspiracy theory in which establishment Republicans, hoping to undermine the MAGA/America First agenda, will push for presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump to choose former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as his running mate. But given how scathing Trump has been in his criticism of Haley, that scenario seems unlikely.
Moreover, Trump has plenty of running mate options who, unlike Haley, have been vocal supporters of the MAGA movement.
In a biting listicle published by the conservative website The Bulwark on May 7, journalist Will Saletan cites six Republicans who are obviously hoping to be Trump's running mate — and describes the ways in which he believes they are debasing themselves in the hope of being chosen.
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"Lots of ambitious (Republicans) are angling for the job, sucking up at Mar-a-Lago and on national TV," Saletan writes. "Normally, contenders for the vice presidency would showcase their accomplishments, their communication skills, or their ability to carry a key state. But in Trump's case, the rules are different. He's an authoritarian crook, and the contestants are competing to show how far they'd go to defend his crimes and his abuse of power."
The six contenders that Saletan lists are: (1) Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, (2) Rep. Elise Stefanik of Upstate New York, (3) Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, (4) North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, (5) South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and (6) Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
"Rubio gets points for…. servility," Saletan observes, "but he's not entirely reliable…. Burgum is cagey in his defense of Trump. Instead of saying none of Trump's criminal cases matter, he focuses on technical objections to the hush-money charges."
Saletan notes that Scott, during an interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker, wouldn't commit to accepting the election results if Trump loses in November — as he didn't want to "antagonize Trump."
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Noem, Saletan points out, told NBC News' Dana Bash, on April 21, that she will continue to support Trump even if he is found guilty in his hush money/falsifying business records trial. But Saletan believes that Stefanik and Vance are more likely to be chosen.
"Stefanik earns a top-two spot for three reasons," Saletan explains. "First, she voted on January 6th to overturn the 2020 election, and she has signaled that as vice president, she would have used the power of that office to block implementation of the results…. Second, Stefanik has indicated that her threshold for declaring an election stolen and invalid is extremely low…. Third, Stefanik proudly embraces Trump's allegation that people convicted of crimes on January 6th are 'hostages,' not lawful prisoners, of the U.S. government."
Saletan continues, "When Welker asked about 'the people who stormed the Capitol,' Stefanik replied: 'I have concerns about the treatment of January 6th hostages'…. What sets Vance above Stefanik, for now, is his stated willingness to defy the Supreme Court."
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Read Will Saletan's full article for The Bulwark at this link.
